The Trouble with Soulmarks
by ChosenChild
Summary: Conan has never put a lot of stock in soul marks. Kaito does but learns he is in for a long wait. Really just a rewrite of the chapters if Kaito and Conan had soul marks. Plus a few original chapters. Kaitou KID, Kuroba Kaito, Conan, and most of the rest of the cast as time goes on...
1. An Unexpected Meeting (for KID)

**Yes! I finally worked out some issues with ! (I'm SeleneMoon over on AO3) I'll get to work on the other chapters (though I do think I am having a few other issues...)**

 _Hey boy_  
Two simple words graced his neck, just above his collarbone. It was a phrase Kudo Shinichi heard a lot of these days. He figured he must have heard it pretty often when he was a child the first time around. Now that he was a child-detective, Shinichi heard it even more often. Shinichi probably met his soul mate without even realizing it, and he didn't care.

Shinichi stopped caring about soul mates a long time ago. His parents weren't soul mates, and they couldn't be happier, even if they did get on each other's nerves sometimes. They taught him that love wasn't limited to one person. You could fall in love with anyone you wanted. Even though it was better to find your soul mate. Shinichi stopped believing _that_ when he realized that Ran's parents were soul mates.

It didn't matter how often he heard the phrase. Shinichi didn't care. He was in love with Ran anyway, and he knew that she was in love with him. That was all that mattered. Even if he'd been shrunk… That made it harder.

"Hey boy," The white clad thief stopped behind Conan while the diminutive detective readied the signal he'd brought. Conan didn't even react to the greeting, though the skin beneath his bowtie prickled uncomfortably. He should probably have Agasa check to see if the voice changer hidden in it was releasing some kind of electrical charge. "What're you doing at a place like this…" Conan lit the rocket and turned to the thief with his largest, innocent smile.

"Fireworks!" He answered cheerfully as the charge exploded above him.

. ^_o~

 _Fireworks!_  
The word hit Kaitou KID hard. His poker face held firm, despite the instant turmoil the teen thief felt. _This_ was his soul mate? This _child_? KID didn't have much time to process it. Even as the word on his collarbone tingled a happy confirmation, one of the police helicopters above the museum turned towards them.

"Oh, a helicopter! It looks like it noticed us!" The boy pointed in delight… Exaggerated delight. Kaitou KID recognized an act when he saw it. A smile tugged at KID's mouth despite himself. He considered the child.

"You're not a normal brat, are you?" KID commented as casually as he could. The kid smirked at him.

"Edogawa Conan." He introduced himself. "Detective."

"Oh?" KID peered at him behind his poker face with interest. This kid had deciphered his riddle? That was… unexpected… and promising.

"Is this okay, Kaitou KID-san?" The little detective challenged him. "If you don't run, the helicopter will get here…"

"Hm…" KID made a show of considering his options. He _liked_ this brat. But KID didn't trust how he'd put his hands behind his back, as if preparing his next trick. Besides, KID wasn't going to run. What kind of impression would that leave? No… Now was the time to impress. KID drew a radio out of his suit. He cleared his throat, keeping an eye on the boy's perplexed face. "Chaki here! I've found Kaitou KID on the roof of the Hyde City Hotel!" KID reveled in Conan's shocked expression that grew more astonished as the thief altered his voice again. "It's Nakamori! All officers in the Hyde Hotel! KID is on the roof! Everyone go get him!" KID lowered the radio, pleased at the various expressions his tiny soul mate was letting run rampant on his face. The child needed to learn a poker face, but then KID wouldn't be able to see such amusing faces. "Satisfied?" KID asked smugly. The boy was trying figure out what he was up to. KID's smile grew. "Tantei-kun?"

Nakamori and the other officers arrived on the scene. KID turned his attention on them, though he kept an eye on the detective. They seemed to think they had him cornered… Didn't any of them realize? This was just a test run. He never intended to take the Black Star tonight. It was a fake anyway. He had to goad Suzuki-san into bringing the real one out in the open. "April Fools." KID grinned, activating his hang glider and causing the cops to rush him on mass. KID dropped a flash bomb. The child, his soul mate, covered his eyes with his arm before it went off. KID felt an absurd rush of pride for the boy for noticing the danger. He couldn't say that he approved of his 'career' choices though. Maybe KID could get him to reconsider…

"Hey boy!" KID got Conan's attention. "A thief is a creative artist who takes his prey in style..." KID smirked. "But a detective is nothing more than a critic, who follows our footsteps... and tries to find faults." KID used most of the time the cops were blinded talking to Conan, so he dropped a smoke bomb on top of the flash bomb to ensure that no one recovered while he changed into a cop's uniform and blended in with them. KID left his note behind (taping a rose on it on an impulse), giving the real date of his heist, April 19. KID enjoyed the look of frustrated confusion on Edogawa Conan's face. The please feeling was quickly tinged by uncertainty. He had some things to think about. KID slipped away as soon as he could. He needed to get home, where he could let his poker face fall and figure out what to do next.

. ^_o~

Kuroba Kaito, aka Kaitou KID, sat at his desk in Ekoda. His fingers tangled in his already messy hair in frustration. In the days since he learned of his soul mate's identity he had scoured his resources for information on him. Kaito was becoming so caught up with learning about the young detective that he was falling behind on his heist planning, but who could blame him? Kaito had always had complete faith in the soul marks. Learning his soul mate was a child had been discouraging. Kaito knew that there were platonic soul mates, he hadn't _wanted_ one but he knew that they existed. It seemed that that was what they were destined for, meeting each other when one of them was still a child. Even more frustrating was Edogawa Conan's hobby; detective work. A thief and a detective could be friends. His father had gotten along with Nakamori, and that Kudo Yuu-something… kind of, but for a thief and a detective to be soul mates? It seemed like a sick joke.

Kaito decided that he had to do research on the boy. Edogawa Conan had popped up a few months ago in the care of Mouri Kogoro; right at the man's rise to fame. Probably not a coincidence, but Kaito couldn't be sure. He followed Conan and his family around for a few days. It seemed as if the little boy had a crush on Mouri Ran. It bothered Kaito. The child shouldn't have a crush. Not when he had a _soul mate_. It was annoying. Kaito narrowed his eyes as Conan laughed at something the girl said. That was when an idea occurred to him.

Kaito had known that he would need to spend more time with the boy that this research from a distance wasn't enough. He needed some one on one time with Conan. And if he could infiltrate the party where the Black Star was being shown at the same time, he'd be killing two birds with one stone. Kaito smiled. This could work. He returned to his heist planning in earnest.

. ^_o~

Kaito was overly pleased with himself. He had successfully gotten close to Conan. He was irritated that Conan seemed to act a lot more childish around Ran, the girl whose face he wore, but maybe the maturity he thought he glimpsed beneath the act that night was just his imagination. Kaito watched the child closely while Conan considered the magician Suzuki-san hired. Suddenly the boy looked up. That calculating maturity was back in his gaze. Conan turned it on the people that Kaito would have selected as his disguise if the Black Star had been his only goal. Kaito tried not to grin. It wasn't in his head after all.

Kaito tried not to get annoyed as he got pulled into the other magician's show. The other magician wasn't bad, but he wasn't as good as Kaito was. Kaito lost track of Conan while he was drawn into the show. After Kaito made the card announcing KID's presence appear, he looked for Conan out of the corner of his eye. The boy was standing beside inspector Nakamori, wearing a cocky smile. He was looking right at KID.

KID tried to attribute it to him, as Ran, pulling KID's announcement card, but the intensity that Conan was looking at him with wasn't normal. KID shrugged it off. It was time to get the pearls rolling. So much of magic was about preparation. The pearls that Suzuki-san had so generously provided began popping out of the broaches and rolling across the floor. Now for the fun part. He played the part of Ran perfectly as he followed the pearl, though he grinned in anticipation behind his poker face. Then the pearl exploded. It was harmless of course, but that didn't stop people from panicking. Suzuki-san fell in the chaos. It was so easy to slip the Black Star off, anticlimactic almost. Then came the scream. The predictable rush of people out of the room, and the equally predictable reaction of Nakamori's men to round them back up.

Suddenly KID felt himself being dragged along with the rest of the crowd by his wrist. "Eh?" He looked down and found Conan holding his wrist tightly for such a small hand.

"Let's get him too, Ran-neechan!" Conan exclaimed. KID was about to protest, as he was sure Ran would have when Conan looked back at him with a knowing grin. "I know who Kaitou KID is." He declared.

"Whaaat?!" KID gaped at Conan. The poker face slipping. That was okay, though, Ran would have been surprised too… And it wasn't like Conan _actually_ knew who he was. Right?

. ^_o~

Conan led KID down to the boiler room. KID could feel his nerves mounting. This wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind when he'd set out to spend some time with his soul mate… "Is Kaitou KID really here?" KID asked Conan nervously. The boy had pulled a soccer ball from somewhere.

"Say, Ran-neechan, do you know anything about gem meanings?" Conan asked as he started bouncing the soccer ball around. KID hid behind the persona of Mouri Ran. This was getting bad. KID hadn't counted on them being one on one for any length of time. 'Ran' expressed confusion and surprise at all of the right times while KID felt his quiet admiration for the boy growing with each deduction. KID weakly tried to throw the clever detective off, suggesting the magician was Kaitou KID, only to be casually dismissed. Conan calmly (and correctly stated) that 'Ran' was Kaitou KID-san.

…and Kaitou KID's poker face cracked.

"I'm impressed." Conan continued without looking at KID. "I didn't notice at all." KID couldn't repress the twinge of pride there but it was quickly smothered by growing panic.

"S- Stop fooling around, Conan-kun." KID could only try to convince Conan that he was mistaken. Something that was becoming increasingly difficult as the crack in his poker face widened and some of his nervousness leaked through. Conan calmly dismantled all of his arguments against his identity. KID was sure some of his admiration was leaking past the poker face also, in the form of astonished stares at the boy's cool-headed deductions. This was going poorly… It was time to go. "A- All right, if you doubt me that much, I'll call the police here." KID said, picking up the boiler room's phone. He'd just blend in with them agai-

 **BAM!** KID stared in shock at where the phone had been. The soccer ball bounced innocently back towards the boy who'd kicked it. KID's eyes were wide as he looked at Conan, still holding the receiver in his now shaking hand. What the HELL was that?!

"You won't use the same trick you used on the roof." Conan told him. "Calling all of those police officers there to loose yourself in the crowd." Of course he'd figured out that trick. KID swallowed. He had to stop underestimating the child. He set his jaw. Conan trapped the soccer ball under his foot again. The poker face that was 'Ran' left KID's face entirely. "Besides, calling someone here is totally unrefined." Conan continued. "I went to the trouble of respecting the artist of the crime and called you to a one on one battle even though we're in the middle of a panic," _that you caused..._ was implied but not stated. This was not exactly what he'd intended when he said that. It seemed Conan had taken his words as a challenge rather than an insult. "Most great artists are known after they die." KID glared at Conan grimly. "I'll turn you into a legend," Conan's grin hadn't left his face since he shattered the phone, now it widened. "by sending you to a graveyard called prison." This had gone on long enough. It was time to cut his losses.

"You got me." KID raised his hands with a short laugh, the pearl peeking through the handkerchief he held to protect it. "I'll give up on this pearl." Conan didn't seem in the least disturbed by KID's voice coming from Ran's face. KID had to think of something to keep Conan from directing that deadly soccer ball at him. "Tell the missus I'm sorry for ruining her party…" He tossed Conan the Black Star.

"Bit late…" Conan caught the pearl. KID knew what had to be done. He wasn't terribly proud of it.

"That's right, the girl I borrowed this dress from is sleeping in a lifeboat." KID said, pulling at the neckline. Conan's confident grin fell into a face of childish confusion. KID pulled a bra out from under the dress with a grin and a wink. "I'm a perfectionist." Conan's jaw dropped in shock. KID didn't like the blush that accompanied his implication, but there wasn't much he could do about it. KID took advantage of Conan's shock to drop a flash bomb and make his escape. Leaving the clothing for the panicking detective. KID raced in the opposite direction. He heard Conan curse loudly after him. KID flinched. The child had a very adult vocabulary.

KID's little confrontation with Conan had cut off most of his escape routes. Conan had delayed him so much that the police were all over the ship and he couldn't even make it to his hang glider. And he couldn't disguise himself for long with the face pinching Nakamori running around. In the end, KID had no choice but to swim to shore (praying all the way that the sea was too polluted for any finned monsters).

. ^_o~

Kaito sneezed as he jumped on to his bed. He hoped he wasn't catching something. His phone buzzed with an alert of a KID story being posted. Kaito groaned and rolled over to grab his phone. He sat up suddenly. Edogawa Conan looked out at him with a strange expression on his face and hand raised in a victory sign. The reporters must have taken the picture as soon as he got off the boat. Kaito smiled, his hand automatically reaching for the soul mark that he'd covered with make up while wearing Ran's dress. That kid was amazing, even more so than he'd expected. Kaito saved the photo and leaned back against his pillows. A frown battled the smile on his face. What was Kaito supposed to do about his troublesome soul mate? A detective… A detective ten years younger than him.

Kaito finally let himself really feel all of the emotions that he'd been hiding behind his poker face as he replayed the night in his mind. Edogawa Conan was brilliant… Calm and collected (with everyone except his Ran-neechan), unless he was playing up the child angle the way Kaito slipped on a poker face. Kaito couldn't help but laugh every time he thought of the shocked and perplexed expression on the boy's face the first time he'd disappeared or the sudden flustered blush when Kaito pulled that last bluff.

Kaito didn't have any romantic feelings for him now (how could he be expected to?), but he could easily develop them in the future. Kaito thought of Conan's quick wit and sharp eyes and tried to imagine him ten years older. A ghost of a smile flitted across his face. Dammit. He was already falling in love with the man that Conan would grow up to be. Kaito groaned. Lady Luck was generally kind, but when she wasn't, she had one hell of a right hook. Kaito imagined the confident grin Conan wore while giving his deductions on a face ten years older. He swallowed. Well… that was definitely worth waiting for.

Kaito looked at the photo on his phone again. That really was an absurd expression, yet it was somewhat… endearing. He could feel the urge to see the boy again swelling in his chest. No, it would be better if he kept his distance, just until Conan was older. Kaito didn't want to risk introducing himself and having Conan grow up to see him as an older brother (though if his crush on Ran was anything to go by, it might not be a problem). Besides, Kaito's ears went slightly red, he'd almost definitely end up falling in love with the child _too_ soon if he saw him often. It was better to wait. Enjoy the times the little detective came to his heists, and then introduce Kuroba Kaito to him when they were _both_ ready. Heck, if Kaito was lucky Conan would grow out of this detective phase by then, it was a long time after all. Kaito sighed loudly. Ten years… Why was life so unfair?

. ^_o~


	2. Surprise Meeting, Surprise Murder

**Yes! I think I figured out** ** _some_** **of the issues I was having with (I'm SeleneMoon over on AO3) Let's see if I can keep it going!**

 _Magic Lover's Club Part 1_

 _For those of you who forgot, Hamano and Tanaka's trick was that they wrote everyone's name on pieces of paper and had blindfolded Sonoko draw a circle, a triangle, and an X on each one. Then Hamano predicted who would be assigned to what depending on what Sonoko wrote. The trick was that Sonoko's pen was dry and couldn't write. Tanaka had already marked the backs of the cards. But she assigned Hamano the game leader and told him that it was going to be 'Doito'._

 _Assuming you've read the chapter, so I'm skimming over the details. I did slightly alter some of the dialogue just so that it flowed better. But it amounted to the same thing. If you need a review it's chapter 192 and ep 132._

 _And here's a list of the suspects._

 **oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Kaito spent a long time debating his disguise to the Magic Lovers' Club meeting. He couldn't pass up the opportunity to find out who was keeping Fake Child alive after the magician's death; but Kaito didn't like the idea of losing the anonymous nature the internet provided. The most logical answer was to go in disguise. Now, which persona was "Spell Magician" less likely to be attracted to? Kaito frowned at the excessive amount of latex… overweight was really the best choice. Spell Magician was pretty clearly a clingy teenage girl. She tried to pretend to be a thirty-year-old man, but she always went full teen crush when "Red Herring" (Kaito) entered the chat. Even if Kaito _were_ looking for a girlfriend (Kaito unconsciously rubbed his neck above his collarbone), it wouldn't be her. Fortunately, Spell Magician gave him the impression of being rather superficial, so he should be able to shake her easily once she met the "real" him.

Kaito decided to put his disguise on at his house (since it was cold and he wasn't likely to over heat on the way there). He packed his Kaitou KID clothing on an impulse (the way he did a lot of things) and took the bus to the base of the mountain where the Silent Ventriloquist (aka Ara Yoshinori) agreed to pick up him and Illusion (aka Kuroda Naoko) since they didn't have a ride to the lodge. It was a pleasant enough drive. Ara-san was probably his favorite member of the group now that the original Fake Child was gone. Yes, he was more of an appreciator of magic than a magician. But he was the type to just sit back and enjoy magic; even if he knew the trick he pretended he didn't. Kuroda-san was rather cheerful about meeting people she'd been talking to for months. Though she quickly lost that cheer when they arrived at the lodge.

"You're a man?!" She stared at the man known as Disappearing Bunny open mouthed. "But!" She started turning red. "We talked about make up and underwear!" When Kuroda-san realized what she'd said out loud she flushed even more.

"Hamano Toshiya, at your service." Disappearing Bunny bowed with a flourish. "I didn't realize that you thought I was a woman at first. But then I decided to just wait for a big reveal." Hamano-san smiled at the flustered woman winningly. "It was a wonderful trick, right?"

"In very poor taste!" Kuroda-san gave him a sour look and turned to the one other member who had arrived, Fake Child (Tanaka Kikue). "Don't you think so?"

"Well, I can see how it would be embarrassing." Tanaka-san smiled a bit wickedly. "But being fooled is part of magic. Don't take it so hard."

"Unbelievable." Kuroda-san huffed, and stomped off to help the part-timer, Sugama Kiyohiro. Kaito considered Tanaka Kikue. So this was the woman who was keeping the magician Furui Fuden alive. She looked about the right age to be the old man's granddaughter. But _why_ was she keeping up this façade? What was the point? Unless he was wrong about Furui-sensei's username all along, but he didn't think so… Well, he had all night to figure it out, and he wasn't going to do it by standing there. Kaito made the rounds as Doito Katsuki, getting along with everyone, picking out a room, and trying not to be disappointed at how little actual magic was going on. Maybe there would be some later.

While Kaito was upstairs he heard someone else arrive. Kaito started down the stairs in time to hear a slightly familiar voice ask if he had arrived. Thank god for his poker face because standing at the door was Suzuki Sonoko, best friend to Conan's Ran-neechan. "You're Spell Magician, aren't you? I'm Doito Katsuki." Kaito said without missing a beat. Though his heart did speed up a little. There was no chance that Conan was with her. It's not like she brought the Mouri family with her _everywhere_ , right? "You really are a cute girl." Kaito continued, letting the persona of Doito take over with a big smile, trying not to feel too smug at Sonoko's tearfully crestfallen expression at his choice of disguise. If he were going to feel any guilt at crushing her dreams it would have faded as Sonoko's face turned from crestfallen to an air of 'I am too good for you' combined with resigned annoyance. Ara-san spoke to someone outside. Kaito's stomach lurched. Sonoko really did bring Ran everywhere with her and that meant… Kaito looked down, and, sure enough, standing slightly behind Mouri Kogoro was a bespectacled young boy with a surgical mask around his neck.

Kaito was vaguely aware of Mouri-san threatening Ara-san, but while 'Doito' kept his attention on Sonoko, Kaito was watching Conan out of the corner of his eye. What were the odds of them meeting here? Really? Conan looked up at Mouri-san and asked if he could stay also. Kaito's stomach clenched, whether in anticipation or anxiety he couldn't be sure. But Mouri quickly dismissed the child's request. "You have a terrible cold. You can't stay." Well, a cold explained the surgical mask. Kaito kicked himself for not noticing that. Wasn't 'Doito Katsuki' supposed to be a medical student? Seeing Conan must have jarred him more than he thought.

Kaito kind of wanted to prank Mouri-san in someway when he picked up Conan by the collar to carry him away, but he did put the mask on the kid. From the way Conan reacted, he was used to it, and it didn't seem to be doing him any harm. Mouri said goodbye. Kaito resisted the urge to tell him to make sure that Conan got lots of sleep… and fluids… and better soup than that instant stuff because it really had no nutritional value for a sick child. But Kaito managed to keep his mouth shut.

Kaito honestly wasn't sure if he was disappointed or glad that Conan couldn't stay. On the one hand, it would have been the perfect chance to get to know his far too young soul mate as someone other than Kaitou KID or Kuroba Kaito. On the other hand he wasn't entirely sure Conan wouldn't have been able to unmask him somehow during the course of the night, and Kaito didn't want to get distracted from the mystery of Fake Child… It sure would be nice to have a detective helping him out on that mystery.

 _Stop that._ Kaito chided himself and pinched his leg hard. Conan should sleep anyway. Even if he was here, running around couldn't be good for his cold. The child needed rest, not a mystery. With difficulty, Kaito pulled his attention away from his soul mate's retreating form (now walking reluctantly next to Mouri-san with the occasional glance back at the lodge). The only ones who hadn't arrived were the leader of the group, the King of Evasion (grandiose title) and the Shadow Manipulator.

. _

. ^_O~

The club started eating without the last two, much to a hungry Kaito's relief. It was inevitable that the topic of favorite magicians came up. Ara-san endeared himself farther to Kaito by immediately declaring Kuroba Toichi his favorite magician. 'Doito' instantly agreed, of course. There really could be no argument in his opinion, but he let the others begin to list their favorites. Kaito received quite a shock when Sonoko passionately declared none other than Kaitou KID as her favorite magician. He hadn't seen too much of her during his Black Star heist, he'd been rather preoccupied with Conan, but Kaito found himself hoping that she wasn't as big a fangirl as he thought she was. It could be… complicated if she was too obsessed with KID.

After dinner, Kaito was trying to avoid Sonoko and Ran. Ara-san tried the phone again. Kaito heard the front door open and then Ran's startled yell. "Co- Conan-kun!" Kaito jerked up and darted to the door. Sonoko was kneeling beside Ran who was holding the limp boy whose face was red with fever and clammy with sweat. Conan did not look well.

"We need to get him upstairs." Kaito instantly took command. "Kuroda-san, will you get some extra blankets? You can put them on the bed in my room." Kaito looked down at Ran. "I'm staying in the first room at the top of the stairs, can you carry him there?" The girl nodded, concern etched into her face. Even Sonoko, who gave the impression of having a somewhat antagonistic relationship with Conan, looked panicky and worried. Ran pushed past the other members of the Magic Lovers Club and hurried up the stairs, Kaito right on her heels. Ran pulled off Conan's jacket and handed it to Kaito, it was cold to the touch. Then she tucked Conan into the bed, and went to the private bathroom (the reason Kaito had picked this room so he could touch up his disguise as needed). Kaito heard water running as the girl wet a washcloth for Conan's head. He took the opportunity to check Conan over.

Conan was breathing heavily in short puffs of air. His fever was much worse than it had been. Obviously the journey back and lying in the snow had worsened his cold. Thank god he'd made it to the house before he collapsed. For that matter, thank god that Ran had thought to look outside when she did! Kaito swallowed numbly at the thought of Conan lying out there, just a few feet from warmth while he froze. Kaito pulled a handkerchief out of thin air (dropping the Doito persona slightly to do so) and gently wiped the sweat from Conan's face. The top button of Conan's shirt was open, and Kaito found his eyes drawn to Conan's neck. The words _Hey boy_ , Kaito's words, peeked from under the collar where they were usually hidden by clothing and an absurdly unfashionable bowtie. Kaito reached for his own soul mark. They were in almost the same place… Ran came back at that moment and replaced a reluctant Kaito at Conan's bedside. She put the damp washcloth on his face and stared down at him with a worried expression. Kaito stepped back. Conan was in bad shape but it wasn't anything too dire. Thankfully Kaito had stopped to think of what a medical student might carry and packed some of the best cold medicine available on the market. He went to his bag to sort through what Conan needed while the others who hadn't seen Conan arrive surrounded Ran.

"The kid must really want to be here." Kuroda-san said somewhat fondly, as if she were talking about an indulgent child. "Just a few hours ago, he seemed unwilling to go."

"I don't think so." Ran spoke quietly but with certainty as she adjusted the washcloth on Conan's head. "Conan told me to leave." Ran continued, answering the questions in the air. "He told me to run away from here right now." Kaito looked up in time to observe the shocked faces the others wore in response to Ran's declaration.

"What did he mean?" Hamano asked shakily. Ran glanced back at him without turning from Conan.

"I don't know. He fainted after he said that." That prompted Tanaka-san to speculate that their missing members, the King of Evasion or Shadow Manipulator were responsible. Kaito approached Ran while Kuroda-san chastised Tanaka-san for jumping to conclusions.

"Here you are." 'Doito' held the bag out for Ran. "I brought some pain relief medication as well." He would have tried anything to stop Conan from making that pained expression from the fever-induced aches taking a toll on the child's body.

"Thank you." Ran said, "I'll just get some water." She stood up, and Kaito was quick to replace her beside Conan.

"According to my examination, it's just a normal fever." Kaito continued, putting his hand gently on Conan's head, half on the boy's hair, half on the washcloth. They needed to wet the washcloth again. It was already feeling warm. "He should get better after he takes some of the pills and gets lots of sleep." That was going to be the hard part. Kaito almost wished that he could slip the irritatingly active detective a sleeping pill or some of his gas but Conan was only seven. Kaito was concerned about the proper dosage. In the end, it wasn't worth the risk.

"Examine?" Sonoko looked at him with perplexed interest she would have shown a friend. Kaito was relieved that he dodged that bullet. This was one time he was perfectly happy to be friendzoned.

"I'm a medical student, so I always carry some medicine with me." Kaito explained with a laugh. The others left while he, Sonoko, and Ran coaxed the groggy boy into swallowing the medicine. Then Sonoko followed the others downstairs, dragging the extremely reluctant Kaito with her. Kaito's last glance back at Conan was blocked by Ran kneeling anxiously by his side.

. _

.^_O~

Downstairs Ara-san and the others were discovering the phone was still dead. They couldn't get through to the King of Evasion. Since he had been the one actually in charge of everything, they were going to have to pick a new leader. Kaito half-heartedly suggested they choose by rock, paper, scissors with a big 'Doito' smile.

"Wait," Hamano-san protested. "This is the Magic Lovers Club. We should choose by magic!" He brought Sonoko over to assist him. Kaito worked out the trick instantly, before Sonoko 'drew' the first shape. He wondered when Hamano-san and Tanaka-san cooked this up. Kuroda wasn't happy about finding herself in charge. Kaito was surprised that Tanaka-san voluntarily allowed herself to be sent outside to chop wood for the hot water, not that anyone else realized that. When Hamano-san declared that Doito was going to be the games leader, and would have to spend the next few hours thinking of games and magic tricks to show them, Kaito was pleased. Sure, he was supposed to be alone in his room to think things up, but Kaito could do that in his sleep. He'd come up with something fast and then go check in on Conan. Maybe help Ran out a little bit. Outwardly though, he pretended to be dismayed. It wasn't really in Doito's character to be much of a showman.

But it was Hamano who was selected to be the game leader, leaving Kaito irritated at the lack of skill and communication between the magician and his assistant. That was such a simple trick to mess up. (He even went so far as to say "Don't fail next time." to Hamano, which was decidedly confrontational for 'Doito'.) Kaito was farther irritated when Kuroda decided to have Doito help her set the table while Sonoko went to help Ran take care of Conan. _He_ was the one who was supposed to be the medical student! Why was everything related to his soul mate so unfair?!

. _

. ^_O~

Sonoko dragged Ran downstairs for dinner, and Kaito instantly wished that he could excuse himself and keep an eye on Conan without looking suspicious. The conversation quickly turned to the two absent members. It really was weird that the King of Evasion was a no show. This whole thing had been his idea, hadn't it? Ara-san laughed it off, and said that the Shadow Manipulator might not be coming, but the King of Evasion was probably on his way.

"He's not coming either." A raspy voice broke into their conversation. Kaito's head whipped around to see Conan standing with one arm out to steady himself on a chair. He still looked far too ill for Kaito's comfort. "He was murdered in his apartment." Kaito froze. _Murder_?!

"Murdered?!" Ara-san echoed Kaito's thoughts.

"His name was Tsutomu Nishiyama, right?" Conan asked. Ara-san nodded. "That what I heard on the radio was right." Conan seemed out of breath. "I rushed back here to warn you all that you're in danger." Conan grimaced in pain as he said that. Kaito felt worry tugging at him, why wasn't anyone else noticing that the boy was clearly doing so badly? They were probably distracted by the murder.

"Why would we be in danger?" Kuroda-san asked worriedly, looking down at the boy.

"Because on the computer monitor next to Nishiyama-san's body was a message." Conan answered, his gaze serious and intense. "It said 'This is the first victim of the Shadow Manipulator'."

"WHAT?!" Kaito, Ara, and Kuroda exclaimed together.

"Wait," Tanaka-san said. "Wasn't Hamano-san part of that dispute between Shadow Manipulator and the King of- Tsutomu-san?"

That was how the group ended up outside of Hamano's room, knocking on the door. Unsurprisingly, Conan led the way inside. Kaito couldn't help being annoyed by this. Didn't Conan care about his health? He still looked awful. When Conan saw the empty room he immediately went to the balcony and looked down. It was Ran who noticed Hamano lying in the snow farther away from the house than should have been possible. Kaito darted down the stairs and out the door. He doubted any of the others (with the exception of Conan, who was sick and _should_ be staying _indoors_ and possibly Ran) would know what to do in this situation.

When Kaito reached Hamano he fell to his knees. Hamano was cold to the touch, but Kaito checked for a pulse anyway. His heart seized. "Don't come any closer!" He shouted at those who had followed him. Kaito lay the body back down. "It's no use. He's already dead."

"What?" Ran asked. Shouldn't she know better? She was the daughter of the illustrious detective Sleeping Kogoro.

"Don't mess with this crime scene." Kaito ordered.

"Crime scene?" Ara-san repeated.

"Don't you get it?" Conan said. Of course the little detective saw it. "The body is thirty feet from the house, but the only footprints here are ours."

"This is a murder that someone needed wings to commit." Kaito picked up where Conan left off and it just felt right. "It's an impossible murder."

The words were dramatic for 'Doito Katsuki', but Kaito couldn't bring himself to care. There had been a murder and it was almost certainly one of them.

…Wait, Conan was outside again! He was going to make his cold worse! Kaito made a mental note to find that oblivious child detective a sweater.


	3. Impossible Murder

"An impossible murder?" Ara-san asked while Kaito looked down at the body.

"He's right." Tanaka-san agreed. "The backyard is big, but there aren't any footprints except for ours."

Sonoko and Ran asked almost in stereo "Why was Hamano-san murdered?" Kaito swallowed his nausea as he leaned over the body. He wasn't involved in many murder cases, but he knew enough to conduct a cursory examination.

"I can't tell you the reason." Kaito said. "But I can tell that he was killed by strangulation." Kaito tugged on the collar to see the neck a bit better. "Someone used a small string to strangle him; and somehow placed it body here unnoticed." It wasn't a bad trick, if Kaito was perfectly honest with himself. He could think of half a dozen ways it could be accomplished, but how did he work out which one it was? Or which member of this group did it? Maybe a shock tactic would work. Kaito glanced back at the others. "The murder must have been committed by someone close to this place." No one reacted terribly suspiciously to his declaration. 'Doito' quickly distanced himself from his accusation when Ara-san asked if Doito meant one of them killed him. "There's no evidence that it's one of _us_." But the seed was planted. Tanaka and Kuroda seemed to think that it was one of them. Until Sugama-san, the part timer that Kaito had nearly forgotten was there, pointed out that it might be the still absent Shadow Manipulator.

Tanaka-san had enough. "I'm leaving!" She declared, stomping back towards the house.

"You can't." Conan told her. She looked down at Conan perplexed. "The bridge burned down when I was coming back here." Conan's announcement was met with frantic exclamations.

"If the bridge is out, we can't leave!" Ara-san exclaimed.

"And we can't call anyone!" Kuroda's eyes widened. "Could the murderer have cut the phone line?"

"But we have cell phones." Tanaka-san instantly reasoned. "We can still call the police for help."

"It's no use. There is no signal here." Kaito said, still looking down at Hamano's body, his mind turning. If this were a Kaitou KID plan… "The murderer wants to cut us from the outside world."

. _

.^_O~

Sometime after Kaito's declaration everyone was sitting around the dining room table. The tense silence was filled only by the ticking of the clock. Unsurprisingly, it was Sonoko who broke it. "It's my fault." Ran looked at her in confusion. "I picked Hamano-san to be in charge of games." Her voice shook. "If I hadn't picked Hamano he wouldn't have been alone, he wouldn't have been killed." Sonoko's eyes filled with tears. "It's because of me…" Kaito's stomach twisted in sympathy. Sonoko couldn't know that she hadn't picked Hamano.

"Don't be so serious." 'Doito' reassured her before Ran could. "You were blindfolded. All you did was write some symbols on papers." She didn't even do that, but that was part of the trick. "You were just assisting Hamano-san with his magic trick. It can't be your fault."

"That's true." Sonoko smiled, though tears still glimmered in her eyes. Kaito was relieved that he could remove some of the guilt that she was feeling. But the conversation did make him think about the person who _actually_ selected Hamano. The person who isolated him before Sonoko even picked up the pen: Kaito's eyes flicked to the woman with a distinctive mole beside her mouth, Tanaka Kikue aka 'Fake Child'. He _knew_ that she wasn't what she seemed. Just because she was pretending to be someone else, didn't mean that she was guilty. But that combined with her involvement with the trick made it _highly_ suspicious.

"Can we really just stay here and wait for help?" Kuroda-san asked.

"It'll be fine." Conan told her. "After the bridge was burned down, Kogoro-occhan yelled from the other side that he was going for help." He smiled reassuringly. "So the police will be here by tomorrow morning."

Kaito tensed. He'd known the police would be called in and 'Doito Katsuki' would definitely be a person of interest given the way he hid his online identity, and the disguise. Kaito had to- wait… If Kogoro couldn't come over because the bridge burned down, but Conan made it… Did that mean that Conan had _run over a burning bridge_ to get there?! Why would he-? Kaito looked at Conan sitting next to Ran. Was it because-? Kaito realized that the conversation had turned to something that he'd come here to learn about. _Worry about it later._ Kaito ordered himself, forcing his attention back to the conversation.

"Have you heard of Furui Fuden, the renowned magician?" Ara-san asked. Ran nodded.

"Didn't he die performing a show last month?" She asked. Kaito swallowed. Furui-sensei's death had reminded him painfully of his father's. It was part of the reason he was so interested in trying to find out why someone was keeping his internet persona alive. He couldn't stop thinking of his father's unsolved murder and wondering if Furui-sensei's 'accident' was similar.

"Yes," Ara-san looked worried. "We were chatting about that incident, and suddenly Shadow Manipulator said ' _That great magician died because of all of you…_ '." Kaito remember that chat. It had been a bizarre addition to the mystery.

"What did he mean?" Ran asked.

"About six months ago we were chatting about an escape trick that no one had performed recently." Kuroda-san explained. "Then Furui attempted it last month and ended up dying. Shadow Manipulator blamed our chat…"

"That's really silly." Tanaka-san scoffed.

"I was worried." Ara-san admitted. "Nishiyama-san (King of Evasion) and I checked the chat records, but Furui wasn't one of the people in the chat. Unless he was an unregistered viewer or someone printed out the chat and showed him, I don't see how he could have seen it…" Ara-san sighed. "That's the real reason we set up this meeting, so that we could invite everyone who participated in that chat and find out just what happened."

"But, the Shadow Manipulator just joined the Magic Lovers Club recently." Kuroda-san contemplated in confusion. "How could he have known about a chat from half a year ago?"

"That's also why I invited the Shadow Manipulator." Ara-san explained. "I hoped it might have been a misunderstanding that we could clear up."

"The Shadow Manipulator said he could fly or become invisible…" Tanaka-san began. _Oi, oi,_ Kaito thought in irritation, as Kuroda-san started to let herself be pulled along. There's a time and a place for believing in the miracles of magicians and this isn't it.

"If it was the Shadow Manipulator, it would only mean that he made an impossible murder possible." 'Doito' said. "It's a magic trick. A bloody one he has performed for us…" His declaration was met by silence.

"I'm freezing." Tanaka-san shivered, breaking the silence. "I'd like to go to my room and get some warmer clothing."

Conan sneezed, and Ran wiped the side of his face in concern. "I need to go too." She looked so worried about the young boy. "I'd like to get Conan-kun a sweater."

"I'm going with you." Kaito said immediately. _Ack! Need an excuse!_ He realized belatedly, and instantly added, "It will be safer if more people go together." They went to Ran and Sonoko's room for the sweater. Kaito wished that he could give Conan one of _his_ sweaters, but his alias' clothing was too large. Even the small woman's sweater Ran was pulling on the boy was too big.

"It's heavy." Conan complained, in his tired sick voice.

"Just hold still." Ran sighed adjusting the sweater. Kaito's poker face didn't waver, even though all he wanted to do was push Ran aside and help Conan himself. As he watched the two of them, his mind drifted back to what Conan had said earlier. The boy had literally _walked through fire_ (over a gaping chasm no less!) for Ran. Kaito swallowed. This crush that Conan harbored for his 'neechan' might be more serious than he thought. Kaito's poker face was all that kept him from glowering at Ran as she finished telling Conan about that simple trick that Hamano-san and Tanaka-san preformed while he was asleep. What was she doing telling him about it anyway? _She_ wasn't there. Must have just heard about it from Sonoko. Kaito mentally shook himself. He was glad when Tanaka-san urged Ran to hurry so that he didn't have to do it.

Kaito kept an eye on Conan as they walked down the hall. It seemed like all he _was_ doing was keeping an eye on the kid, but who could blame him? Conan was wearing an intense and determined expression that made him look much older than he was (or maybe that was just wishful thinking on Kaito's part). At least his shivering seemed to have gone down with the addition of the sweater, even if his face was still flushed. Kaito almost didn't notice when they reached Tanaka's room.

Tanaka went to the bed, and was distracted by the curtain moving. Without any farther warning an arrow shot by her and embedded itself in the wall next to them. Conan! Worried eyes instantly sought out the boy. Conan had gone farther in to the room. All of Kaito's instincts screamed at him to pull Conan back into the hallway but before he could Tanaka went to the balcony door, revealing a broken pane of glass and opened it, calling out to who ever shot at her.

"NO!" Kaito shouted.

"Come back!" Conan yelled in almost perfect time with Kaito.

But the scream that rang out didn't come from Tanaka. Conan was gone before Kaito had a change to register Ran's alarmed exclamation "That's Sonoko's voice!" Kaito raced faster than a man of Doito's physique should be able to manage to stay on Conan's heels. Of course his soul mate had to be someone who ran _towards_ danger! They found Sonoko in the bathroom. Trembling as she stared at an arrow sticking out of a broken mirror in horror. _At least the killer will have seven years of bad luck._ Some part of Kaito's mind thought.

"I've had enough!" Tanaka declared, storming out of the house. She was closely followed by Ran, who was in turn followed by Conan. _No,_ _Conan would have followed Tanaka anyway._ Kaito sternly reminded himself. Tanaka stomped into the trees yelling, oblivious to the danger that she was putting Kaito's soul mate and everyone else in.

No… she wasn't. Kaito looked around him, the tall ominous trees towering above them all. The trees… That trick would be simple with the trees! And that meant… Kaito turned his gaze on Tanaka-san as she fell. She did it! She killed Hamano-san and set up this trick! Ran went over to comfort Tanaka while Kaito reeled from his revelation. Kaito knew how it was done… But how could he tell the others? Kaito punched the snowy ground furiously; so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't notice the sharp gaze of his too young soul mate settle him.


	4. Deduction Show

**Seriously though, I'm just throwing these stories up here, most of them are over on AO3 because I figured out how that worked first...**

 **ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Kaito was still lost and frustrated by his thoughts when Sonoko found another arrow, sparking a fresh wave of panic in the Magic Lovers Club. There was no point in them being out there anyway, he'd already figured out the trick. "Let's go back to the house." Kaito said grumpily, with a glance back at the boy who should have been in bed instead of standing in the snowy woods with a cold.

"Agreed." Conan nodded. It did nothing to placate Kaito, whose irritation at not being able to figure out how to expose Tanaka was seeping into irritation at Conan's inability to just stay in bed when he had a fever. As they slowly started back for the house, Kaito felt someone watching him. Sonoko slipped and Kaito caught her, instantly sliding back into the character of 'Doito Katsuki'. Kaito didn't need to turn around to know who would be staring at him so intently. He knew that if he met his soul mate's gaze now his poker face would crack.

The moment that they were in the house, the little detective began his investigation in earnest. All child-like smiles and behavior, Conan attempted to determine everyone's alibi for the murder. Kaito did his best to smooth the way for his little detective. He assured everyone that it would be fine to establish where they were and got the ball rolling by telling Conan where he and Kuroda had been, setting the table. Besides, maybe the fact he was with Kuroda would get Conan to stop looking at him so suspiciously, though he doubted it… It also backfired a bit when Kuroda-san told him that she went to help the part timer with dinner preparations after they finished.

"So, where were you when they were in the kitchen, Doito-san?" Conan asked.

"I went to get crackers for everyone." 'Doito' answered with an easy smile. Conan gave him a flat look. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't exactly admit that he'd gone upstairs to check on Conan, and gotten stuck outside listening to the indistinguishable conversation between Ran and Sonoko before he gave up and got everyone snacks.

"Crackers?" Conan repeated. It was more of a statement. Kaito wasn't sure how to respond to it. What was so unbelievable about that?

Fortunately he was saved from farther questioning when Sonoko gave herself and Ran an alibi. One by one the Magic Lovers Club told the little detective where they had been. Tanaka-san was obviously the one with the most opportunity. Though Kaito already knew that she had done it so that could have been why it was so clear to him. Conan honed in on how long it took Ara-san to get wine, which Kaito had to admit seemed a bit too long. Then, to Kaito's annoyance. They were back outside _again_ , this time checking out the locks on the wine cellar. Shouldn't Ran be saying something about how a sick child should be _indoors_ right about now? Kaito smothered an annoyed glare at the girl. Really, he knew that nothing they said or did would keep Conan from investigating, and he was just being petty by blaming Ran. Before they went inside, Conan insisted on looking at the furnace. Since that was where Tanaka-san had been, Kaito reluctantly kept his mouth shut instead of nudging Ran into dragging the boy inside.

Kaito was actively trying to stay away from Conan at this point. The boy was clearly wrapped up in his deductions so thoroughly that any kind of discrepancy would alert him to Kaito's disguise. Kaito was sure that he was going to end up giving himself away somehow. He could still admire Conan's work though. Detectives really weren't so bad when they weren't trying to unravel real magic. At this rate, Kaito wouldn't have to worry about revealing the murderer. Conan would do it for him.

The group deteriorated into arguing and Conan wandered around the corner of the house. Great, now 'Doito' couldn't lose himself in the small crowd. He walked a few steps past the corner so that he could try to keep an eye on Conan. The kid was lost in thought. Then he seemed to notice something on the ground. Before Kaito realized what happened Conan had jumped on to the ledge of a window that Kaito _swore_ was taller than he was and was looking at something just above the window frame. He was going to break his neck! Ran and Sonoko followed Kaito around the house.

"How's the investigation going, Tantei-kun?" He asked, lifting Conan from the snowy ledge that he was almost certain to slip on. Conan looked over his shoulder in surprise.

"Uh, good, I guess." He answered, as Kaito put him on the ground. After being chastised by the girl, they headed back towards the house. Kaito smiled to himself when Conan asked Sonoko for the details of the trick that Tanaka had performed to get Hamano alone.

_|_|_  
.^_O~

Conan had it. His eyes were intense, deep in thought, a steaming cup of tea in front of him. Kaito could tell that he was about to put the entire trick together. Conan glanced up, then grabbed a bottle of wine and held it upside down. Kaito resisted the urge to run when Conan smiled. That was the exact same grin that Conan wore when he'd systematically outlined his deductions regarding Kaitou KID. But this time it wasn't directed at him. Kaito fought a smile as he glanced at Tanaka-san. This was going to be good.

Conan turned to Ara-san and asked for supplies for a school project. Ara-san led Conan away, and Kaito managed to relax for the first time since he'd worked out the trick. Conan would handle it. Kaito chuckled. It was weird to be depending on a seven year old. No matter how brilliant he was.

Kaito's relief was short lived though. Ara-san came back, interrupting Kaito's subtle probing of Ran and Sonoko for more information about Conan, and announced Conan had disappeared. Logically, Kaito knew that Conan was setting up a demonstration of the trick. That didn't stop Kaito from glaring furiously at Tanaka-san when someone suggested that the boy had been taken by the murderer. Kaito had been watching her like a hawk since Conan left the room. He knew that she didn't have Conan, but he was furious at the very thought.

Kaito's heart nearly stopped when he heard Conan scream. He cursed his hard to move in choice of disguise as Ran raced ahead of him towards Conan voice. Ran burst through the door. Kaito actually relaxed when he heard the arrow thud into the wall beside the door. All part of the demonstration then. Kaito played along as Conan led them outside. Kaito spotted the arrow in a tree from the earlier trick. Conan led them right past it. He only stopped when Ran grabbed him by the back of his jacket and lifted him off the ground much like her father had at the beginning of the day.

While the Magic Lovers Club murmured uneasily among themselves and Ran chided Conan for putting himself in danger, Conan smiled. Then the boy did the one thing that Kaito _never_ expected. He turned to Sonoko with a big childish smile and said, "Great work, Sonoko-neechan." Kaito blinked. Sonoko seemed as nonplussed as he was. "You know… about that case…" Conan pulled her arm, away from Ran, down to his level and made to whisper in her ear. Sonoko fainted and fell against a tree trunk. Conan ran behind the tree.

"Sonoko? What's wrong with you?" Ran asked leaning towards her.

"Nothing, Ran." The unconscious girl assured her friend. Kaito's jaw dropped. He moved just far enough around the tree to see Conan talking into his bowtie. "Take this crossbow behind me and bring it to Hamano's room on the second floor." Suddenly the 'Sleeping Kogoro' made _a lot_ more sense. "Ran, you and I will perform the same bloody magic show that the killer showed us." Kaito dropped a bug and easily slipped away while Conan/Sonoko ('Conoko'? No, that was silly.) spoke to the suspects. Kaito grabbed his uniform from his lightly packed bag, and made sure he was fine with leaving everything else in it. He had a feeling that Conan's deduction show might reveal more than the killer.

Kaito arrived at Hamano-san's room just in time to stop Ran from firing the crossbow. It wouldn't do to have an amateur firing arrows around a large group of people, especially when his soul mate was down there. "Let me do it, I'm good at shooting." Kaito moved forward so those below could see him better. "Is that okay with you, Sonoko-tantei?"

"Go ahead," Conan called through the voice changer. Kaito thought that pretty much confirmed his suspicions about how much Conan knew, why else would he be alright with 'Doito' shooting a crossbow in his general direction?

Kaito easily brought the crossbow around and fired it at a tree. "Bingo!"

"Don't be too happy, you still have to shoot one more arrow." The detective called, directing him to the proper target.

"No problem." Kaito easily hit the mark. Kaito resisted his urge to show off farther after Conan doubted his skill. This was Conan's show, not Kaito's. Still, the least that Kaito could do was be an able assistant. He was already preparing the blanket for the demonstration when Conan asked for it. From there it was simple. Deposit the body using the string, and remove the evidence with a final shot from the crossbow. All that remained were the arrows in the trees.

 _Tantei-kun's got a dramatic streak._ Kaito thought with a smirk as he listened to Conan lay out the rest of the evidence and accuse Tanaka of the crime through his earpiece. "Hey, can you hear what she's saying?" Ran asked, leaning over the railing. Kaito started as she leaned too far and he grabbed her.

"Careful! You'll fall!" Kaito snapped, pulling her back.

"Ah! Thank…" Ran began but she trailed off, turning to stare at him. She looked from his stomach to his face. Her mind working furiously. Kaito tensed. Ran must have felt the padding. Kaito's poker face smiled, a patent KID smile, and he raised his finger to his lips. Then he activated the sleeping gas with his other hand and caught her before she could hit her head on the floor. Kaito frowned. He should put her in the other room or Conan might think the worst of him. Kaito returned to Hamano's room right as Tanaka-san confessed. To think that she killed to people because of slander. Kaito snorted. Every magician had to deal with hecklers. Furui-sensei would have been the first to tell her that. Even if it was incredibly callus of the men in question, it was no reason to kill. Kaito realized that Tanaka was talking about him. Shoot! He hadn't realized that she would bring up his message to Furui-sensei. He hadn't even thought that the imposter would see it.

Kaito looked up. He was hearing footsteps down the hall. Too light to be anyone but _him_. How was he in two places at once? Giving deductions to the others down in the woods, and up here about to corner him. Kaito grinned. _Not a bad trick, Tantei-kun._ He thought as he rid himself of the padding and disguise and changed into something a little bit more impressive for his soul mate. "If you rearrange the letters, 'Doito Katsuki' becomes…"

Kaito stepped backwards on to the balcony as Conan pushed open the door and declared his true identity. "Kaitou KID!"

"That really was a superb investigation." Kaito complimented Conan.

"Where's Ran?" Conan demanded, not interested in any words of praise from the thief. Kaito felt an instant flare of jealousy.

"She's sleeping soundly in the next room." He answered with a grin. "I prefer her that way." Asleep and out of their way. Conan relaxed slightly with the knowledge of Ran's safety. He laughed lightly.

"Red Herring… that name really suits you." He drew himself up a bit. "Someone who tricks everyone they meet."

"I didn't intend to trick anyone when I came here." Kaito lightly protested. Well, maybe he was trying to trick Sonoko a little bit, but who could blame him? "I just wanted to know why Fake Child was still active online after Furui-sensei's death." Kaito smiled nostalgically. His father had shown him videos of Furui-sensei's early performances. "Furui-sensei debuted under the name Fake Child. So I knew that Tanaka-san wasn't who she said she was." Kaito sighed. "But I didn't think it would lead to murder… Not until it was too late."

"You didn't want it to be her." Conan deduced. Kaito didn't say anything. It was true that he didn't like it. The reason was petty, but the motive of revenge was one he understood all too well. Kaito had never hurt anyone, especially not with magic, but this case reminded him that he _could_ , and if he ever cornered those responsible for his father's death… "Emotions often prevent us from finding the truth." Conan said. It took Kaito a minute for him to realize that the detective was actually complimenting him on how he handled himself during the case. For finding the truth even if he didn't like it. Kaito tried not to preen. "No one likes this kind of tragedy." Conan added.

"I'm not a detective. I just stepped in because you were sick." Kaito reminded Conan. Kaito didn't want to be involved in these sort of tragedies. Kaito heard a helicopter in the distance. It was time to go… Even if he wanted to keep talking. He looked intently at Conan. "I'll see you later, Tantei-kun." It sounded like a goodbye, but Kaito meant it as a promise.

Kaito dropped a smoke bomb, and felt instant guilt as Conan began to cough. He activated his hang glider and jumped off the balcony and flew into the night. The small figure of his soul mate grew smaller behind him. _Until next time._ He promised himself.

Kaito pulled out his phone. He didn't want to land until he had service and could make a phone call to Jii-chan. He really didn't want to get stuck out here.

. _

.^_O~

Kaito flopped on to his bed. Was every meeting he had with his soul mate going to be exhausting? He caught a cold after the last one. He hoped Conan hadn't made him sick this time. Kaito lazily wondered when the first articles on the murder would be coming out. He'd have to save them like he did the ones on KID. Maybe he needed a new scrapbook or album… No, that seemed a little bit creepy. He couldn't keep an Edogawa Conan scrapbook without feeling like some kind of stalker. He'd have to keep it with the KID stuff. Kaito twirled his phone on his finger. Ugh, why did his first words to Conan have to be so generic? Kaito wouldn't be worrying about how these things would look if he was sure that Conan _realized_ that they were soul mates… Even if part of him was glad that the boy apparently hadn't, it meant that he could arrange the meeting with Kuroba Kaito later so that it would be obvious.

Kaito idly wondered if he should start following Mouri Kogoro's cases more closely. He'd suspected Conan was the brains, but to think that Conan would go so far as to knock the man out and give the deductions. It made the kid so much more hands on. Kaito wanted to follow the cases, _Conan's cases_ , much more closely than his previous passing interest in his soul mate's guardian. Though it probably wouldn't be good for Kaito if he were really trying to keep his distance. Kaito yawned. Tomorrow. He'd worry about everything tomorrow…

When Jii-chan came in a few minutes later, holding a hot cup of tea for the still cold thief, Kaito was snoring. If the old man had bothered to check the phone under the teen's hand, he would have seen a picture of Edogawa Conan looking blandly out at them before the screen went dark.


	5. Improving through Improv

**Alright, so this is the first original (not based on a chapter) installment.**

 **ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Kaitou KID blinked. He pulled his binoculars away, rubbed his eyes, and looked through them again. Nope, Edogawa Conan was still there, his glasses brightly reflecting the glare of the spotlights. The question was, _what was he doing at this heist?!_ It was a school night and they were in a small-ish city more than fifty miles away from Beika. There was _no way_ his soul mate should have been able to attend! KID stepped back. This was bad. He didn't have anything planned!

KID began pacing up and down the roof (thankfully he was wearing a dark hoodie and baseball cap instead of his normally conspicuous outfit). He'd planned on this being a simple grab and run, nothing showy (by his standards at least). He wasn't prepared to match wits with his soul mate. He hadn't arranged for any kind of spectacular trick! KID didn't have _anything_ to impress his soul mate with!

What was he going to do?! How was he supposed to create and execute a heist worthy of Conan with 25 minutes notice?! He pulled out his phone. "Jii-chan! This is an emergency! _Please_ tell me you over packed!"

.O-O

Conan had been having a tough couple of days. Ran left on a week long school trip that Shinichi had _actually_ been looking forward to. Almost as soon as she left Conan and Kogoro got food poisoning when Kogoro undercooked one of Ran's pre-made meals. Then one of the newer officers yelled at Mouri for bringing Conan to a crime scene. It normally wasn't a problem, but the guy kicked up such a fuss that Conan was barred from the scene and had to jump through a dozen more hoops than usual to solve the case. It was beyond irritating and left Conan desperate for a challenge with someone who realized that _he_ was an adversary.

So when Conan saw KID's heist notice in the paper and realized it was in another city, he did a little research, and then a little planning. The next day Mouri Kogoro got a call saying that he won a contest. The prize? A ticket to the preliminaries of a beauty pageant and hotel room where it was being held (all expenses paid anonymously by Kudo Shinichi). It would have never worked if Ran was still in town, but without her Kogoro wasn't going to let a little thing like Conan's elementary school attendance get between him and a free beauty contest. So, come Thursday night, Conan was happily standing outside the city museum, waiting for the show to start. He'd encountered some resistance from Nakamori-keibu, but a little bit of flattery had gotten him past police lines.

 _So KID,_ Conan surveyed the entrance to the museum, which had rather foolhardily decided to continue their fundraiser before the official exhibition of the Pride Ruby, _what's your trick today?_ Conan smiled.

. _

.^_O~

"Hurry up, Jii-chan! We need to finish placing the smoke bombs!" KID hissed. There was still so much to do! Jii-chan would have to take care of whatever wasn't finished when KID made his appearance.

"Is this really necessary, botchama?" Jii-chan panted. KID could hear the old man wheezing through the earpiece they were using to communicate. "I thought your first plan was perfectly adequate."

" _Adequate_ doesn't cut it with Edogawa Conan in the audience!" KID snapped.

"Is that boy really so formidable?" Jii-chan asked dubiously. KID didn't admit to Jii-chan that he was less worried about being caught than he was about appearing mediocre in front of Tantei-kun. Instead, he just grinned, aimed a flare gun out of a nearby window and said "Yes."

.O-O

Conan heard the projectile before he saw the trail of smoke it left in its wake. An instant later, everyone's attention was draw to it as it exploded into a fiery white KID caricature. Conan darted into the museum. This was it, while everyone was distracted by the firework KID would be putting his next trick into motion. Conan grinned. That audacious thief never failed to disappoint.

Conan made it to the second floor where the fundraiser was being held in time to see a well dressed man pilfer the Pride Ruby. He winked at the young detective while everyone else in the room was staring at the window. Then there was a flash of light, and everyone turned to look at the Moonlight Magician, suddenly standing on the display case.

" _Ladies and Gentlemen!_ " The thief proclaimed with a big showman's grin. "Thank you for inviting me on this lovely evening." KID wrinkled his nose. "Though it is a bit stuffy in here." He snapped his gloved fingers and the veranda doors flew open. "Well, I came for the party favors." KID tossed the Pride Ruby into the air and caught it. "But I appreciate you all coming out on such a foggy night to see the show." At this the guests began to murmur in confusion. It was an exceptionally clear night. With a pop smoke bombs started going off outside the windows. While the other guests gasped and stared at the suddenly misty "weather", Conan frowned. The smoke bombs hadn't all gone off at once. There had only been a fraction of a second delay, but Conan noticed it. That was oddly sloppy for the thief.

KID seemed to be smirking directly at Conan. He leaped from the case, did a flip over no less than three guests and raced for the veranda, his cape flaring behind him in a rippling wave. Conan darted after him, he made it to the doors in time to see Kaito hop on to the railing, turn and leap backwards into the artificial fog. People began to scream before KID jolted and was floating in midair. Conan narrowed his eyes. That jolt was out of place. Usually KID would use some sort of smooth levitation.

"Oi, what's wrong with you?" Conan asked.

"Whatever do you mean, Tantei-kun?" The thief asked smoothly with a charming smile.

"You created this 'fog' so I wouldn't see the wires, right?" Conan said. "That means that you are using the wrong wires, they aren't invisible. Plus you are wearing the wrong kind of harness for a levitation because you couldn't attach the wires as easily as normal." Conan crossed his arms and eyed the thief critically. "This entire thing seems a little improvised." KID chuckled.

"As formidable as always, Tantei-kun." KID looked up thoughtfully. "Something happened, and I had to alter my plans a bit. This is actually something of an improvement on the original heist."

"Well then I'd hate to think how dull the first plan was." Conan smirked, sure that it would get under KID's skin. There were guests crowding around behind him now, looking in wonder up at the thief. They either didn't see, or chose to ignore the wires holding up KID that were _almost_ invisible in the thinning fog.

"Heh heh, sorry about that, Tantei-kun." KID chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that the next heist lives up to your standards."

"You think there will be another heist?" Conan challenged. He activated his belt, and powered up his shoes in a single motion. KID released another smoke bomb. Conan kicked the soccer ball from his belt into the heart of the cloud. The smoke cleared enough for the guests to see KID was gone. KID must have released the wires and dropped to the ground under the cover of the smoke. Conan darted to the balcony and looked down. A police officer looked up and gave Conan a cheerful wave before he joined the other members of the KID Taskforce racing about in a chaotic fashion.

 _Darn it._ Conan thought regretfully. _I was sure I hit him..._

. _

.^_O~

KID had known those soccer balls would hurt but that was the first time he'd actually be hit with one! "From now on, I'm going to confiscate that belt before every heist." He muttered to himself, lying in the backseat of Jii-chan's car with a pile of ice on his chest. Jii-chan was driving them back to Ekoda so that Kaito could make it to school on time. How did a child kick a soccer ball that hard?! Though it really was Conan's best defense if something dangerous happened, as it _always_ did around the boy. Maybe depriving Conan of his weapon wasn't the best idea. Conan really did seem to like kicking them around… KID groaned as he realized that he was going to have to add dodge ball to his training sessions.

KID's mind drifted to his next heist. He was going to really have to up his game to make up for this fiasco. KID was determined to get a positive review from his favorite critic next time.


	6. (Bonus) Complications and Connections

**Okay, so this is a bonus chapter that I just decided to add here, it's in a separate place on AO3**

 **ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Shinichi had always hidden his soul mark from Ran. She was something of a hopeless romantic after all. He was grateful that she didn't have a soul mark and he only wished that he had been as lucky. Of course, once he became Conan Shinichi couldn't exactly hide it when Ran made them bath together. So Ran knew all about _Conan's_ soul mark and never connected it with Shinichi. However, she did have her own ideas about Conan's soul mate.

When Hattori Heiji first met Conan the first words that were directed at the child was the phrase "Hey boy." It had instantly caught Ran's attention. Of course, _anyone_ directing those words at Conan got her attention, but Hattori was different. Somehow, it fit. Hattori hadn't paid much attention to Conan during that first case, he was a lot more interested in Shinichi. But when they met again at the Holmes Murder Case, it didn't escape Ran how much more attention the teen was suddenly paying Conan. And after that third case, where Conan and Hattori were basically inseparable she was almost certain of her conclusion. Hattori Heiji was Conan's soul mate.

Ran smiled. All in all this tour of Osaka was going great. The Great Detective of the West was a kind of odd guy, but interesting. He didn't even need her father's help on a case. He just wanted to see them. That was sweet. Ran kept her eye on Conan and Hattori. She was still somewhat wary about them. Ran didn't like how soon Conan had found Hattori, and the age difference was concerning. What if they fell in love too soon? _Calm down, Ran._ She ordered herself. Ran didn't even know for sure if Hattori _had_ a soul mark, much less whether or not it matched Conan's first words to Hattori, a rather tentative common thank you that could explain why the detective didn't notice Conan was his soul mate.

"So, Hattori-kun," Ran said, she'd been looking for a way to bring it up for a while and decided that she should just ask. "What are your thoughts on soul marks?" She tensed slightly.

"Soul marks?" A sad look seemed to pass over Hattori's face for a moment before he laughed. "I think soul mates belong ta'gether and should be best buds. Same as everyone else I guess. Why ya ask?" Ran was saved from answering by Conan's snort.

"Oh please…" he muttered.

"Oh, ya think different, _boy_?" Hattori asked, leaning down a bit on his chair. Conan gave him a dull look.

"The idea that marks on your skin indicate anything about who you are is ludicrous." He said. "People should be free to create their own relationships. Not be swayed by something as silly as 'destiny'."

"It 'ain't _destiny_ ," Hattori argued, affronted. "It's a powerful connection between two people that is strong enough ta leave a physical mark!"

"Sorry, Hattori." Ran said quickly, as Conan opened his mouth to continue the argument she knew all to well. "Conan doesn't really believe in soul marks."

"I just think that relationships should be based on more than the belief that you belong with a complete stranger." Conan muttered. Ran laughed.

"Honestly, you sound so much like Shinichi sometimes." She wiped his face and he turned red.

"I heard ya ask him about soul marks." Ran looked up at the strange girl who had taken Hattori's seat. "Ya should know that it's different here in Osaka."

"Um…" Ran wasn't sure what to say about this strange girl. "That's someone's seat…" The girl looked at her smugly.

"Here in Osaka, _platonic_ soul mates are _way_ more common than romantic ones, Kudo." Ran was off balanced. Did this girl know Shinichi? Ran didn't even notice Conan panicking beside her.

"Kudo?"

"Don't ya go thinkin' that ya'll get Heiji just 'cause ya got matching soul marks!" The girl leaned in and shouted in Ran's face. "Heiji's only interested in a soul _sista_ and ya'd better not get any ideas. Even a soul bond can't beat our bond of steel, Kudo!"

"Um, I think you've made a mistake…" Ran tentatively murmured, worried about setting her off again.

"Kazuha?" Hattori said, having returned from the bathroom. The girl jumped in surprise. "What are ya doin' here?"

Hattori was in hysterics after he learned of Kazuha's misunderstanding. Ran kept talking to them, but half her mind was still on what Kazuha had said about soul marks. Where platonic soul mates really more common in Osaka? And did Kazuha's defensiveness mean that Hattori really did have one? If anyone knew if Hattori had one it would be the girl who bathed with him while they were handcuffed together.

Ran got her chance to investigate farther when Hattori abducted Conan for the investigation, leaving her with Kazuha at the police station. "What did you mean about soul mates being platonic in Osaka?"

Kazuha glanced at her and scratched her cheek. "I know that ya all in Tokyo like ta view soul marks as mostly romantic, but" she shrugged. "It's not like that here."

"Really, so platonic soul mates are preferred here!" Kazuha was taken a back by Ran's excitement.

"Y- yeah." She nodded.

"That's fantastic!" Ran beamed. Maybe she didn't have as much to worry about with Conan as she thought.

"Uh, Ran-chan…" Kazuha was hesitant. "What is goin' on?" She hadn't expected someone from Tokyo to be _happy_ that Osakan soul marks were mostly platonic.

"Just tell me one thing." Ran said eagerly. "Does Hattori-kun have a soul mark? Is it something like 'Uh, thanks'?" Kazuha visibly hesitated.

"I'm… not really sure." She admitted. Ran blinked, she hadn't expected that. "Last year, Heiji was hit behind his ear during a kendo match." Kazuha explained. "It left a scar, and when the doctor was patching it up, he noticed somethin' right on the edges of a hit." She crossed her arms, but it was more like she was hugging herself than defensive. "He said that it was either a soul mark or part of a mole." She sighed. "If it _was_ a soul mark, no one knows what it said. Can't read it 'cause of the scar."

"Oh," Ran said deflating slightly. That must be awful.

"I know it really bothers him sometimes." Kazuha mumbled. Then snapped back to attention. "But why do ya ask?" She glared suspiciously. "Do ya _know_ somethin'?"

"I… I think I know who Hattori-kun's soul mate is." Ran faltered.

"What?!" Kazuha's eyes widened. "Who is it?! Do you know how excited he's gonna be?!" Kazuha was excited. She'd somehow instantly associated Heiji's soul mate as a future brother- or sister-in-law.

"Just, watch him and Conan-kun." Ran urged her. "I know the age difference is big, but they _really_ get along well. Plus," Ran leaned close to Kazuha. "Hattori-kun's first words match Conan's soul mark!"

Ran and Kazuha watched the pair closely. Ran was delighted that Kazuha whole-heartedly agreed with her. Conan and Heiji were definitely soul mates. It was a weight off both of their minds. Kazuha didn't have to keep wondering and Ran was relieved that the soul mark was platonic and that Conan had an older detective looking after him. The girls agreed that they shouldn't tell the boys yet. Ran thought that Conan was still too young to burden with the complexities of finding his soul mate, and Kazuha was positive that Hattori would move to Tokyo if he learned that Conan really was his soul bro. They watched them, and giggled at the soul mates behind their backs. Ran made special allowances when Hattori came to visit.

Neither of them knew that there was someone who would be _very_ displeased if he knew about their assumption.


	7. A Badly Timed Abduction

O-O

Conan was not happy about being dragged out of bed before sunrise. There was a KID heist tomorrow night and he needed to be well rested to catch the clever thief. Honestly, he needed his sleep. His child body exhausted quickly and he wanted to be sure he'd be able to stay awake, even though KID had scheduled the heist unusually early in the evening. Unfortunately, Hattori Heiji rarely let things like common courtesy get in his way when an impulse struck him.

Conan glared at the taller detective with a level of grouchiness that could only be attained by being woken up far earlier than _any reasonable human should be up_. "You are much too cheerful for this time of day." He grumpily informed him.

"It's just 'cause I'm excited." Hattori said with a big grin.

"Liar." Conan said, narrowing his eyes at Hattori's clothing. His jacket was wrinkled at the neck in a way that could only mean one thing. "You slept on the train."

Hattori chuckled. "Can't hide anythin' from ya."

"Whatever." Conan yawned widely. "Just tell me why you dragged me out at this hour so we can take care of it."

"Now is that any way ta talk ta someone who came on the night train just ta see ya?" Hattori pretended to be insulted.

"What. Do. You. Want. Hattori." Conan said each word shortly. He wasn't in the mood for any of Hattori's nonsense. He didn't understand why Ran even let Hattori abduct him like this.

"Sorry, sorry," Hattori laughed. "I get it." He leaned back, hands in his pockets. "Ya see, there's this weird thing goin' on at a sleep away camp." He said. "Ya know, one of 'em places that rich people send their kids so they don' have ta deal with 'em during school breaks?"

"Yes. I've been to a few of them." Conan deadpanned, waiting to see Hattori's reaction when he realized he'd more or less insulted Kudo Shinichi's family.

"Ah," Hattori scratched his chin and avoided Conan's gaze, every bit as embarrassed as Conan expected him to be. "Well, anyway, Kazuha's lil' cousin, Satoshi-kun, is stayin' at one of 'em. He said there some strange stuff goin' on and Kazuha wouldn't stop buggin' me 'til I came."

"So, why am I here? And what do I have to do to finish before tomorrow tonight?" Conan asked still grumpy. "I have something important tomorrow."

"Ah, here's the bus." Hattori said, glancing up, not looking at Conan. Conan's eyes narrowed behind his large lenses.

"Hattori…" He began warningly. The bus doors opening cut him off.

"You must be the new camper and counselor, right?" The bus driver grinned.

"That's us!" Hattori said cheerfully, speaking loudly to cover Conan's surprised (slightly angry) "What?!". He grabbed Conan by the arm and dragged him on to the bus.

"Wait!" Conan protested, reaching for the closing bus doors. It was too late. The bus pulled away from the curb.

"It's alright, boy." The driver smiled. He saw a lot of reluctant campers, but they always had fun once they got to the camp. "You'll be home in a few days and make plenty of friends while you're there."

"Yah, yah," Hattori nodded quickly. "This kid just gets homesick." He pushed a fuming Conan down the aisle in front of him towards the back of the bus where they could talk more freely. He put Conan on the window seat and sat next to him. Then he looked down, about to say something, only to flinch back and look away, sweating suddenly. Had Conan _ever_ glared at him this harshly?

"So what I'm gathering." Conan said coldly enough to make Hattori shiver. "Is that you enrolled me in a sleep away camp, that I won't be able to get away from for at least a couple of days."

"W- well," Hattori laughed nervously, actively avoiding Conan's eyes. "Somethin' like that…" Conan stood on the seat and kicked Hattori's thigh hard enough for to leave a bruise. "OW!" Hattori almost jumped out of his seat. "What the heck!?"

"This couldn't have waited until Sunday?" Conan snapped, dropping back into his seat.

"What's the matter with ya?!" Hattori scowled down at him, rubbing his leg.

"I could ask you the same thing." Conan retorted, crossing his arms. "Why can't you ever call before you come? I was really looking forward to the KID heist tomorrow."

"Well, when I call, ya say no." Hattori crossed his arms and looked away, mirroring Conan's body language and making them both look like sulky children. "Why're ya chasin' a thief anyway?" Hattori wasn't going to say that he was annoyed that Conan would rather spend an evening clashing with a thief than with his best buddy, but he was.

Conan smirked. "He's a really challenging rival."

"WHAT?!" Hattori shouted almost jumping out of his seat again. He glared down at Conan. Conan actually laughed. He knew exactly how to get under his western counterpart's skin.

"Relax, Hattori." Conan stretched. "It's a different kind of rivalry."

"Oh, really?" Hattori drawled. He took his seat again practically emanating resentment. Conan sighed.

"With you and I, it's a race." He explained. "We go different ways and try to get there faster, but we have the same goal."

"Yah," Hattori agreed, still pretty clearly unhappy. "We want ta find the killer. So?"

"With KID it's chess." Conan grinned. "We are fighting _each other_. He's trying to steal the jewel and escape, I'm trying to stop him."

"That actually sounds kinda fun." Hattori admit. "Maybe I could go with ya sometime."

"I'd have been happy to invite you to the one _tomorrow_." Conan's glare returned. Hattori winced.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry 'bout that…" Hattori wasn't as stressed as he'd been at the beginning of the conversation since Conan seemed to have accepted that he would be missing KID's heist, even if he was still angry about it. "I'll make it up ta ya. Promise."

"This had better be an interesting case." Conan muttered. "Especially if I have to act like a child the whole time."

"Well, it's definitely weird." Hattori grinned. Conan glanced up and met the other detective's eyes.

"Spill." Conan commanded.

. _

.^_O~

Kaito was almost giddy with excitement. He'd been looking forward to this since the Beika Museum announced their acquisition of the Sapphires of Poseidon, a gaudy bracelet of sapphires. Finally, a target worthy of KID in Conan's area. Of course, he was somewhat worried about Snake putting in an appearance, since the largest stone was definitely large enough to contain Pandora, but Snake only usually appeared during 'smaller' heists with fewer people, and Kaito made sure this was a _big_ event. His tricks were sure to frustrate the little detective and make up for his last shoddy heist.

Kaito was sure he'd done everything right. He organized it on a Saturday and even scheduled it early in the evening so that his young soul mate could get to bed on time. There was no way that anyone could protest Conan's presence, and no way that Conan would pass up a chance to match wits with KID.

Friday morning, Kaito did another walk through of the museum that he'd infiltrated several times as a janitor, contractor, docent, etc. This time he was accompanied by Aoko and said a quick hello to her irate father, while he made sure that the Taskforce hadn't jostled anything he needed for his tricks. All that was left to do was wait. Kaito spotted an overexcited teenaged girl hovering over the Sapphires of Poseidon despite the heist not being until the next day. Kaito smiled. Well, if Suzuki Sonoko was here… No one could really blame him for taking advantage of it, could they?

Twenty minutes later, 'Suzuki Sonoko' burst through the door of the Mouri Detective Agency. "Hello!" She greeted the occupants enthusiastically.

"S- Sonoko!" Ran started in surprise. "I thought that you were at the museum."

"It was boring there. The heist isn't until tomorrow anyway." 'Sonoko', or rather Kaito, shrugged. "I thought I could hang out here." Kaito cast his eyes around the room. His soul mate was conspicuously absent. "Where's the brat?" Kaito asked.

"He's out of town." Ran answered. Kaito's jaw dropped, poker face momentarily forgotten. _No way!_

"But he was here yesterday!" He protested. Kaito hadn't been able to resist checking on him after he'd finished setting up a few more of his tricks at the museum. "Will he be back tomorrow?" Ran smiled and shook her head.

"I don't think so. I got a call from Hattori Heiji last night. You remember, the High School Detective of the West?" No, Kaito _didn't_ remember, but he nodded anyway because 'Sonoko' would have. "He said he wanted to 'borrow' Conan to look into something at a relative's sleep away camp. Hattori-kun picked him up at about five o'clock this morning."

"But he'll miss KID-sama's heist!" Kaito would _not_ let his distress seep into his voice, at least… no more than Sonoko would at the thought of someone missing one of KID's magic shows. "Wasn't he excited about it?"

"Well, yes, but I thought he'd have more fun with Hattori-kun." Ran shrugged. "Besides, Conan will be safer with him."

"What's that mean?!" Kaito snapped a bit more harshly than he'd intended. "KID-sama always makes sure his heists are safe!"

"Yes, but…" Ran hesitated. "Sonoko, I know you are a big fan, but Conan is at a very impressionable age, and I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with how KID glamorizes criminal activity."

Kaito gaped at her. "You're kidding." Ran crossed her arms defensively.

"I'm not! Conan looks up to KID." She stated stubbornly.

"The brat looks up to everyone! He's tiny!" Kaito exploded. "Besides, he wants to _catch_ KID! Not copy him!" Ran shook her head.

"Even if he's just interested in catching him, it doesn't mean that he won't start emulating his behavior." Ran insisted. Kaito couldn't believe this. Had she just read some new parenting book? "I already have enough trouble worrying about Conan sneaking off, I don't want him to pick up any other tendencies from a showy thief!" Was she seriously trying to blame Conan's tendency to sneak around during investigations on _him_? Kaito was deeply insulted… and maybe a little bit flattered. It was good to know that Conan thought so highly of him. "Hattori makes a much better role model." Kaito blinked at that. Something about the way Ran said that didn't sound right. Like she was holding something back… telling a half-truth. Kaito narrowed his eyes at Ran. What was she hiding?

"So… you just let him _take_ Conan?" Kaito said, inspiration struck. "Do you even know where they went?"

"Of course I do!" Ran looked deeply insulted. "They're at the Green Tree Sleepover Camp." Ran frowned. "Wait, since when do you care about where Conan is anyway?"

"How's the brat supposed to catch KID-sama for me if he's not here?" Kaito rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, and tried _not_ to shudder at how much he sounded like his slightly deranged fangirl. Kaito discreetly pressed a button that caused his phone to sound an alert. "Ah!" He looked at his phone. "Someone thinks that they've spotted KID! I'll see you later, Ran!" He was out of the room with the speed of a fangirl who'd caught sight of an idol.

Once Kaito was out of his disguise, he glowered freely. Great. The most spectacular show in _Kaito's_ career as KID, and the critic that inspired it was going to miss the whole thing! What was the _point_ of creating an illusion of dozens of KIDs, getting KID costumes ready for the taskforce to be used after the initial illusion, and having it all cumulate in a car chase that ended with KID and the car disappearing if Tantei-kun wasn't there to see it?!

Kaito felt his resentment for Ran grow. As if it weren't bad enough that Conan was enamored with her (it's just a childish crush, Kaito reminded himself, without being convinced) now she was keeping Conan from his heists! Letting some freaking detective abscond with him! Kaito scowled and lifted his phone up. He had to do some research on this _Hattori Heiji_.

O-O

"Then I'll be Tantei-kun! And this here will be Hot Head-han!" Conan said with a big smile to the head councilor while Hattori was distracted talking to the bus driver. She smiled and wrote their 'camp names' into her check in book. She had introduced herself as Lady and explained that while they were at camp they each needed 'camp names'. Conan took advantage of it to exact a little petty revenge on his abductor.

"Here you go, Tantei-kun!" Lady said cheerfully, pulling a sticker with his new camp name on it off a sheet and putting it on his jacket. "We can make a shirt that has your camp name on it during arts and crafts!"

Conan beamed at her falsely. "Thank you, Lady-neechan!"

"Oi, Ku- Conan, what are ya two talkin' 'bout?" Hattori walked up to them.

"He's not Conan, he's Tantei-kun." Lady pulled another nametag sticker from the sheet and put it on Hattori's shirt. "Here you are, Hot Head-kun." She said cheerfully. Hattori looked down at his new nametag perplexed, then he whirled on Conan.

"You-!" He began, but Lady yanked his arm.

"It's just a camp name," She muttered, "Here we put the kids first. You'll have the name and you'll like it. Got it?" Something about the grip on his arm and the harsh note in her voice made him swallow and nod. "Good." Lady was all smiles again. "What do you say we go join the other campers."

"Yeah! Come on, _Hot Head-niichan_!" Conan said vehemently. Hattori just glowered at him. They joined the other campers and councilors by the lake. All of them seemed to take readily to 'Tantei-kun' and 'Hot Head-niichan' though they were almost a week late for the camp. The most of the kids were from another county that had two weeks off for spring break, though Conan was technically still in school.

Since the camp started, someone had been committing large scale pranks. The pranks had been escalating. What began with the relatively harmless (swapping the name plates on cabins the first night so that everyone ended up mixed up) lead to red food coloring in the water tank of one of the cabins (making it look like blood was coming out of the tap) and cumulated with a dead animal left on the porch of the camp director, Haruto Akane. Obviously the escalation was concerning, but not enough for the police to become involved. Conan and Hattori knew that once someone started leaving dead animals lying around, violence wasn't far behind. It was the last thing that they wanted it a camp full of children.

Conan began socializing with the campers, quickly collecting as much data as he could. "So you _saw_ the dead possum on the camp director's porch?" He asked another boy, who had somehow ended up with the coveted camp name 'Kamen Yaiba'.

"Yeah! It was gross!" 'Yaiba' exclaimed in delight. He leaned close to Conan and cupped his hand around his mouth like he was sharing a secret. "I got a picture, even though we aren't supposed to have phones, wanna see it?" Conan nodded quickly, moving between Yaiba and the adults like he was eager to hid the secret from the others, though most of the other children in the camp probably knew about it. Yaiba unlocked his phone and proudly displayed the picture. Conan frowned, and took the phone, zooming in on a few key points on the dead animal. That was unexpected. Conan quickly mailed the photo to his phone.

"That's really cool!" Conan handed the phone back, full elementary school mood.

"I know, right!" Yaiba grinned, as the other kids gathered around to see the photo again. Conan wandered away. Hattori noticed him and disentangled himself from his conversation with 'Sparkle-neechan' and 'Wolf-niichan', the councilors that he was trying to pull information out of.

"Oi, Ku- Co- Tantei-kun." Hattori began. His nomenclature problems were starting to become borderline hilarious. "Ya got anythin'?"

"A picture of the dead animal left on Haruto-san's porch." Conan answered. "Hattori, this person might not be as dangerous as we thought." He mailed Hattori the photo. "Look at the impact marks, the way the blood is matted, and that level of decay…"

"It's road kill." Hattori realized. "Whoever left this, din' kill it 'emselves."

"Probably just found the thing and used it in their prank." Conan nodded. "But still… This kind of prank… It's not right."

Hattori nodded. "Somethin's wrong here." He agreed. "It 'ain't as bad as we thought, but it still don' make much sense."

"What did you get from the councilors?" Conan asked. Hattori shrugged.

"The biggest thing that's been buggin' 'em is the room changes." He said. "That whole 'blood in the showers' bit was on the second day here and all the girls in that cabin had ta go ta other cabins in case they had nightmares or somethin', so there's an extra cot in a bunch of cabins."

"Sounds cramped." Conan commented.

"Still better than 'em in that cabin." Hattori tucked his hands behind his head looking up contemplatively. "No of 'em can think of anybody who'd do this. And they din't notice squat."

"Maybe we can talk to the councilor who was in charge of that cabin." Conan suggested. "Who was it?" Hattori made a face.

"Wasn't a councilor." He said. "The Dragon's usually in charge of that cabin."

"The Dragon?" Conan repeated.

"Yeah, it's what they call the camp director, ya know, Haruto-san. She's a real piece a work." Hattori had had to talk her into letting him bring Conan to investigate. It was a far from pleasant experience, and he did not look forward to renewing their acquaintance. "She's a real charmer… Ta the parents. Only consented ta havin' me here ta make Kazuha's aunt and uncle happy, but she got nasty fast when it was just me on the phone."

"So the odds of us getting anything useful out of her is…" Conan left the question dangling.

"Slim ta none." Hattori sighed.

"Tantei-kun! It's time for arts and crafts." Lady merrily interrupted them. "Why don't you run along with them. You're really behind on the project since we already started yesterday."

"Okay!" Conan said with his trademark grin. "We can talk more later, Hot Head-niichan!" He cast one glare back at Hattori to make it clear that he _did not_ want to do anything arts and crafts related before he hurried back to rejoin the group.

Lady smiled and waved at him as he left. The smile dropped from her face as she turned back to Hattori. "You can't play favorites, Hot He- Hattori-kun." She swapped names, hoping that using his given name would make him more amenable.

"But Nee-chan, I just wanted ta see how he was doin'." Hattori protested, his lying skills were as weak as ever.

"I'm not saying you can't talk to him, just pay attention to the other kids too." She said patiently. "I know it's difficult, but the extra attention makes things harder for them. The other kids get jealous surprisingly quickly."


	8. The Dragon and the Princess

Kaito was fuming.

He had two options. He could continue the heist without the critic that inspired it or he could postpone the heist… Neither option was acceptable. Kaito had _briefly_ considered going up to going up to Green Tree Sleepover Camp to kidnap Conan, but rejected it. Ran would never let Conan go to another heist if it was discovered (which it almost certainly would be) and Kaito couldn't imagine it would endear him to the little detective either.

"Argh!" Kaito threw his hands up in the air. This was so unfair! Some detective jerk could kidnap Conan whenever he wanted while his _soul mate_ was stuck hoping for the occasional clash of wits at a heist. He just wanted to spend some time with Conan! The 'Great' Detective of the West could do that any time! Kaito could only do it at heists! Couldn't Hattori Heiji find another grade schooler to solve his cases for him? It was frustrating but there was nothing that Kaito could do except hope that Conan would fix whatever problem that Osakan bloke had in time to get to the heist.

Wait… Kaito started smiling. Maybe he did have one more option. He pulled up the directions to the Green Tree Sleepover Camp and called Jii-chan to ask him to put the finishing touches on the trick. It wasn't in his nature to help detectives, but, this time, he'd make an exception. After all, it should be easy to wrap up a simple case with the great Kaitou KID helping out!

O-O

Red and blue, Conan untangled the last bit of red embroidery thread with a slight grin. Lady had told him that he would be working on friendship bracelets with the rest of the campers (he'd make a shirt with his camp name on it later). Hattori had teased him by asking if he would make a friendship bracelet for him. If Conan had bothered looking back after he stomped Hattori's foot on his way to the supply table, he'd have seen real disappointment masked in Hattori's glare after he swallowed his pain. Conan figured that as long as he was stuck here, he'd make something nice for Ran. So he picked out her favorite color and matched it with his (he tried to distance Shinichi from Conan by pretending that his favorite color was red, while Conan's was blue). Conan was walking away when he heard a startled and disappointed little gasp. He looked back and saw a girl that looked a bit like Ayumi staring in utter disappointment at the table of thread. She was just a little bit older than the Detective Boys, with long hair in a complicated braid and a completed bracelet hanging out of one pocket. She clearly had just finished her first bracelet and was about to start a new one.

"What's wrong?" Conan asked her. She turned to him in surprise.

"Oh, it's nothing." She said timidly, waving her hand at the table in a quiet sad little way. "Just… they don't have the color I want." Conan looked at the table. They were only out of one color.

"Here you go." He said, holding out the red thread that he'd just pulled from the table. The girl blinked.

"A- are you sure?" She asked uncertainly.

"Yeah!" Conan nodded. "I haven't started yet, so it isn't a problem." The girl hesitantly accepted the thread. Conan grinned at her and grabbed some purple string to use instead. It matched the blue better anyway. The girl gave him a small smile and before Conan could walk away she pulled him over to a table with other girls sitting at it.

"Thank you." She said, happy in a quiet way. "Do you need help getting started on your bracelet?" Conan was about to decline, but he remembered that she had already finished her bracelet and, looking around, he realized that all of the other campers were barely halfway finished. If this girl could help him work faster he'd get away with investigating more without nosey counselors trying to 'help' him finish.

"Sure." He said, with a big childish grin. The girl smiled.

"I'm Hime-chan." She introduced herself.

"Tantei-kun." Conan replied. The back of his neck prickled. He glanced back and saw a boy with scruffy hair and scabs on his elbows and knees glaring at him. Great, someone had a crush… as if he didn't get enough of this with Genta and Mitsuhiko.

Hime put a knot in the threads. "I'm going to teach you how to make a nicer one, okay?" Conan nodded, and Hime's nimble fingers began to weave and tie the string, slowing when she needed to so she could show Conan what to do. Once Conan got the gist (and a good four centimeters of bracelet) Hime turned to her own red, yellow, and orange strings. In no time she was creating a band far more complex than any of the other children were creating.

"Wow, you're really good at this." Conan watched the colorful band grow beneath her small hands.

Hime blushed slightly. "Thanks. I've had a lot of practice."

"So you've been here before." Conan deduced. "A lot."

"My mom runs the camp." She answered. She seemed almost sad. "I'm here every break."

"That sounds like fun." Conan tried to say brightly, but he came off as uncertain. He _knew_ he did.

Hime half shrugged. "This time it has been fun." Hime seemed to perk up and looked lovingly at the bracelet materializing under her hands. Conan couldn't help but notice that the new bracelet was much more intricate than her first one, and entirely different color scheme. They must be for different people.

"Who is that one for?" Conan looked at the simple black and blue bracelet hanging from her pocket. It was even easier than the one that she had taught Conan to make.

"My mom." Hime's hands slowed. "She… I make her a bracelet every break." The little girl seemed to shake herself. "This one," She proudly displayed the brightly colored bracelet she'd been working on. "Is for Nat- Lady-oneechan." Hime beamed. One of the other girls with a braid heard her and turned around.

"Isn't she just the best?" the other girl gushed.

"She really is!" Yet another girl with braids agreed enthusiastically.

"Best counselor ever!" Conan was realizing that all of the girls who were most excited about Lady had a braid of some kind. Conan suddenly recalled where he'd seen odd braids like this. Lady had had two or three small ones in her otherwise loose hair when she greeted him that morning.

"Are you all in her cabin?" Conan asked. The girls with braids nodded. Lady probably had done their braids for them. They varied, but all were unusual. Shinichi remembered Ran tangling her hair into a rats' nest trying to duplicate these weird kinds of braids when she was thirteen. She'd given up pretty fast but whoever did these was an expert.

"I wasn't at first." Hime added. She had the most intricate braid of the girls. "But I'm really, really happy that I am now!" The other girls kept talking. Conan was fine with it until he realized that they weren't going to let him leave.

Hattori noticed and laughed internally at Conan's pain.

. _

.^_O~

Kaito had modified his Ran disguise so that he looked like a twenty something year old girl who had gotten lost after she ran off from a handsy boyfriend who had driven her up to Lookout Point (Lover's Lane). He'd quickly infiltrated the camp and expressed concern that 'her' boyfriend would be looking for him at home, and if he could just stay the night, he'd really appreciate it. All of this was stated with a wide-eyed damsel in distress way that had zero effect on the unpleasant director of the camp. Kaito easily understood why one of counselors had called her 'the Dragon' under his breath when he went to see her. Kaito was granted permission to stay the night… if he cleaned the cabins and the dining hall… and the bathrooms… and do whatever else the camp counselors asked. Kaito thanked her through gritted teeth and a smiling poker face. The Dragon called someone to show him where to sleep and find the cleaning material.

Kaito was in the middle of cursing Hattori Heiji, the Dragon, and Ran, carrying a bucket and rag, when he saw Conan. Suddenly, it was all worth it. Kaito straightened and a genuine grin spread across his face. Conan was surrounded by girls slightly older than him. Kaito wasn't jealous. He was too distracted by the confused look on Conan's face as a girl with a braid untangled the strings in his hands for him. It was adorable. The girl showed him how to do something with the strings, or maybe it was fix something. Conan thanked her with a big smile and Kaito _wasn't jealous at all_.

While Kaito tried to convince himself of that, an overly tanned teen sauntered over Kaito. "Hey, whacha doin'?" Kaito registered the Osakan accent and tried to keep from gassing him on the spot.

"Oh, heeey," Kaito tried to draw out the 'hey' to be flirty, and mask the anger. He must have not completely succeeded because Hattori looked startled and suspicious. Kaito switched tactics. "Aren't you the Detective of the West?" Kaito purposefully left off the 'Great' suffix. Hattori briefly looked overly pleased, but then seemed to remember something (probably that he was supposed to be undercover, amateur) and waved it off.

"Nah nah, that's not me." He laughed exaggeratedly. "He's a really great detective tho'! I'm surprised ya know 'bout him!" Hattori stated. He still seemed to be fishing for compliments. "Say, are ya a cleaner? Did ya clean the showers after that whole red food colorin' in the cabin?"

"Oi! Hot Head-niichan!" Conan called.

"Is he talking to you?" Kaito asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, yah. He conned Lady-san in ta givin' me that name as a prank." Hattori looked annoyed as he looked back at Conan. "What is it, Ku- Tantei-kun?" Kaito's heart froze, and then started beating so hard he thought it would burst. Conan picked the camp name 'Tantei-kun'? Kaito couldn't suppress the rush of fondness for the boy.

"Don't we have something to do right now? Like put my bags in the cabin or something?" Conan stared at him slightly desperately. The girls around him looked expectant. A wicked grin graced Hattori's face.

"Nah, don't worry 'bout it." Hattori shook his head. "I'll put it away for ya." The girls cheered and started dragging Conan away. Conan glared at the teen over his shoulder. Hattori waved. "Have fun, ladies' man!" Kaito watched the girls drag Conan away, disappointed, but _not jealous_. He was definitely _not jealous_ of a bunch of children pushing and pulling his soul mate to where they wanted him to go. Hattori turned back to Kaito with a chuckled "That'll teach him." Kaito bit his tongue. He might have found it funny, if he weren't so irritated with the Osakan detective. "Sorry, I was askin' if ya were the one who cleaned the cabin after that whole thin' with the blood."

"Blood?" Kaito was instantly alarmed. What had this jerk gotten his Tantei-kun into?!

"Uh, no." Hattori instantly stumbled over his words. "It was red food colorin' in the water. Made it look like blood was comin' out of the tap."

"Something like that happened?" Kaito asked. "I just got here, I'm only staying the night in exchange for some cleaning." Kaito hefted the bucket.

"Ah, that explains it." Hattori nodded. "I thought that everybody had heard 'bout these pranks."

"Tell me more." Kaito said trying to convey curiosity rather than intense interest. He had to know more about what was going on.

"Oh, it's crazy stuff." Another of the counselors joined them, and launched into a detailed summary of the pranks. Kaito noticed Hattori listening carefully and adding questions of his own here and there. Clearly he'd heard all of this before, but was taking advantage of the situation to investigate.

As a master prankster himself Kaito wasn't overly impressed with the pranks. Yes, it might have been amusing to watch a bunch of confused campers wandering around, looking for their cabins the first day, but scaring a bunch of kids with that blood gag wasn't funny. And that dead animal was just gory. It actually made Kaito a little sick to think about.

"Would you like to eat with us?" A counselor named Wolf invited Kaito. He was blushing slightly. Aw, cute, Wolf had a crush. "I know you've got to clean, but you should have some free time. You can hang with us."

"Sounds great." Kaito beamed. "Do I get a camp name too?"

"Can't see why ya'd want one." Hattori muttered.

"They're fun, _Hot Head-kun_!" Kaito grinned. "Let's see, it sounds like there are a lot of flower names." He snickered. "I'll be Rupinasu."

O-O

Conan was dragged to the girls' cabin, they were all giggling. Several of them were distracted by things on their beds, while Conan looked around. There was a cot in the corner. Conan was surprised to see that an adult's clothing peeked out of the bag next to it. "Isn't that your bed?" Conan asked, nodding at the cot. He'd thought the campers were on the cot, not the counselors. Hime looked over at it.

"It was supposed to be, but Lady-oneechan told me I could have her's." The happiness written on Hime's face was evident.

"You knew her before, didn't you?" Conan remembered Hime's false start earlier in the day. Hime's eyes widened. Conan smiled innocently. "I won't tell anyone."

"Her name is Natsuki-oneechan." Hime admitted hesitantly. "She's a teaching assistant at my school."

"And you got her this job?" Conan prodded.

"I… didn't want to come here alone again." Hime said, looking away slightly. "Natsuki-oneechan mentioned that she was looking for a job over the break, and it seemed perfect." Hime reached into her bag and pulled out a book. "She gave me this for while I'm here." She smiled, and handed it to him. It was a translation of an English fantasy novel that Conan vaguely recognized by Tamora Pierce. The title written in _romaji_ was Alanna. Conan flipped quickly through the book. His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed something, then handed the book back with a smile. Hime took it back tenderly. It was clearly a cherished possession.

"So, you were in that cabin that shut down. Wasn't your mom in charge of it?" Conan changed the subject to the mystery at hand. Hime tensed ever so slightly.

"Yes." She said, shifting uncomfortably. Her hands came to rest on her arms in a protective manner. "She's pretty good with the other campers…" _But not so nice with you._ Conan deduced. It seemed the Dragon was well named.

"What's this?" A voice said from the entrance. Conan looked up. Lady stood in the doorway. "Girls, you know boys aren't allowed in the girls' cabin." She chided her campers good naturedly.

"Sorry, Lady-neechan." The other girls chorused together, their voices and giggles overlapping each other. Lady walked over to Conan.

"Conan, I know you're new. But boys aren't allowed in here. My girls should have known better." She shook her head, smiling in a 'girls will be girls' kind of way.

"I'm sorry, Lady-oneechan." Hime apologized. "I wanted to show Conan-kun a few of my other bracelets." She held them up. They looked older and some of them were terribly complex. They seemed almost professionally made.

"It's alright, just don't let it happen again." Lady smiled at the two of them. She clapped her hands together. "Now, let's all get to lunch. Shall we?"

Conan accompanied the girls to lunch. He left them and sat next to Hattori, giving him a death glare. "I hate you."

"Nah, ya don't." Hattori scoffed. "Ya find out anythin' interestin' from the girls, ladies man?"

"Maybe." Conan muttered. "I'll let you know." The conversation around the dining hall faded as a woman approaching middle age walked into the room. Her hair was up in a complicated style that would have been elegant if she were at a dinner party. Since she was working at a camp locks of hair had fallen free of the up-do and gave it a fly away look. She walked to the table at the front of the room and stood at the center. Conan couldn't help but notice the overly flashy image she was trying to project. She wore gaudy jewelry on her fingers and wrists. Her false nails were bright red and clicked against the table when she tapped its surface.

"Hello campers!" She smiled brightly. It was as false as her nails. "I'm announcing that the Fern Cabin, which was closed several days ago, will be reopened tonight!" She beamed at the campers. "I look forward to seeing the members of my cabin again tonight!"

There was a smattering of "Yes, Director." And the director clapped her hands, big smile still on her face. Apparently that was some kind of sign to the campers to start eating because they began to move towards the buffet table.

"Come on, Kudo." Hattori jumped up and headed toward the director. Conan was right on his heels. "Oi, Director-han." Hattori called, but he wasn't the first to make it to the flashy woman.

"I don't want to go back to the cabin! I've made friends in my new cabin!" A child whined, tugging her skirt. The director brushed her off, walking away.

"Are you sure about this?" Lady beat Hattori to the director. "I mean, it was a traumatic incident for the children. Maybe they should stay with the cabins they've been in."

"Nonsense." The director brushed off the counselor's concern. "I've spoken to the guidance counselor. He said that the children are fine. If the children complain to their parents about crowded conditions we may lose campers." Anger flashed across Lady's face before the concern returned.

"But, Director," She protested.

"Don't overstep your place." The director, no, the Dragon's temper flared. "You're the help. Stop forgetting that just because my daughter likes you." Lady stiffened. The Dragon took the opportunity to sweep off in the direction of her office.

"That freaking… _Dragon_." Lady hissed. There was a snap and Conan realized that the clipboard in her hand had broken in half. _Scary…_ He thought staring. Conan knew how strong someone had to be to break things (he had been observing Ran long enough to know whether or not she would accidently break what she was holding), it wasn't easy to break a clipboard that thick. Lady stared at pieces in her hand, and carefully put them on the table. She sighed and turned around, almost tripping over Conan. "Tantei-kun!" She said startled, noticing Hattori at the same time. "Hot Head-kun."

"What was that 'bout?" Hattori asked, nodding at the door.

"Oh, just her being… her." Lady's barely suppressed snarl suggested a level of familiarity and contempt that was something greater than an employee for an unfair boss. "Do you mind if I talk to Tantei-kun for a while?" Lady herded Conan away before Hattori could say anything.

Lady quickly guided Conan to a quieter corner of the dining hall. "Tantei-kun," Lady dropped to one knew so that she was eye level with the diminutive detective. "Would you look after Hime-chan for me?" Conan blinked. He hadn't known what to expect but her request made sense. Lady went on to explain. "Hime-chan hasn't made many friends, partly because she's so used to people coming and going at the camp so she doesn't get close to them and partly…" Lady drifted off, looking distraught and guilty.

"The other girls are jealous of her?" Conan guessed. Lady looked surprised.

"How did you-?" She began. Conan shrugged.

"I know that you knew each other before, _Natsuki-neechan_." He said. "You probably showed some favoritism before you realized that it was isolating her from the other campers. You are very popular." Lady sighed.

"I thought that everyone had gotten over that. I've been trying to treat all of the girls equally." She said in clear distress.

"Oh, they have." Conan assured her. "But it was probably too late for Hime-chan to make friends. Besides," He thought back on Hime. "She's kinda shy."

"That's why I was hoping you'd keep an eye on her. Hime-chan seems to like you." Lady looked at him hopefully. "I can't do it without making the other girls jealous again."

"But, Lady-neechan," Conan frowned at her. "Why do you think that Hime-chan will need me looking after her?" Lady hesitated.

"I think that she's going to be very upset." She said. Lady took his hand. "Can I entrust the princess to you?" She asked. It sounded so childish, so trite, but Lady's eyes were serious, and her voice was sincere. Conan steadily returned her gaze.

"Yes."

. _

.^_O~

Kaito longed to find his soul mate and take the chance to eat with him, but it was best for his cover to remain with people his own age… "You! Girl. What's your name again?" Kaito jumped as he realized that he was being addressed. He turned towards the director, a.k.a. the Dragon. "I want you to clean up Fern Cabin before the campers come back." She said without waiting. "The cleaning staff will show you where to find what you need." The Dragon swept away, her not-camp-appropriate heels clicking along the floor.

"I would have called her the Witch." Wolf muttered from beside Kaito. "But Lady kept calling her the Dragon, and I guess it stuck."

"I'd have probably called her something a little less flattering." Kaito replied. His hands itched to prank the unpleasant woman. Would that be counter productive? He _knew_ he shouldn't create false data for the detectives, but that woman was just _begging_ to have a mustache glued to her face for the foreseeable future. Kaito resolved to get his revenge on her as soon as the mystery was solved. That reminded him, how was he going to pay _Hot Head-kun_ back for making him go through all this? "Would you like some help, Rupinasu-san?" Wolf interrupted his thoughts. Kaito looked at him in confusion. "With the room?"

"Oh, no, that's alright." Kaito assured him. It was the perfect opportunity to find anything that the prankster might have left behind. A KID grin crept on to his face. "I'll be fine."


	9. Collecting Clues

**Okay, even if this IS a spoiler, I've decided I have to put a bit of a warning. Even though it is only mentioned there is a reference of child abuse here. Not sexual, just physical. You can skip the rest of this arc if that bothers you. (I mean, obviously child abuse in general should bother you, but in the context of this story it's nothing graphic, I promise. Just people putting together clues and some crying.) I wouldn't think it is enough to trigger anyone, but better safe than sorry (and I've got a friend who is very insistent about warnings, so I'm a bit paranoid about making sure anything remotely triggering is noted).**

 **So,** ** _Warning, referenced child abuse_**

 **(skip to "The Imposter's Invitation which is chapter 12)**

 **ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"What'd she want?" Hattori muttered as Conan returned.

"For me to look after Hime-chan." Conan replied. "Lady is rather overprotective."

"She's intense, that's for sure." Hattori watched her go. "They're gonna clean the cabin soon."

"I got it." Conan said. "I'll search it while you look into Lady a bit more. If I tell you her name can you remember to keep calling her 'Lady'?" Hattori gave him a flat look that made Conan laugh.

"It's a perfectly valid question considering how often you mess up with me." Conan continued to smirk. "Her name's Natsuki. Maybe you could get a look at her employee file."

"I got it." Hattori continued watching Lady. "You know where Fern Cabin is?"

"I'll manage." Conan rolled his eyes. They parted ways, Conan headed towards the cabins and Hattori following Lady out of the dining hall.

.._

(_)_

.^_^

Hattori knew how to tail someone. It wasn't easy when that person knew who you were and there weren't a lot of people around. Fortunately Lady was too angry to take in her surroundings. Lady stormed in a definite direction. "Hey! Doc!" She shouted. A man in his late twenties glanced back at her, paled visible and started to walk faster. "Don't even think about it!" Lady increased her stride, grabbed the other man by the collar and yanked him back hard enough to elicit a strangled yelp. Hattori flinched. He hadn't seen Lady physically violent towards another human being before, even if he had gotten the vibe that she could be when he did something she disapproved of. "What were you thinking?" She growled, still pulling the back of the man's shirt hard enough to shorten his breath. The man swallowed trying to clear his throat. "Why would you tell her it was okay for the kids to go back to that cabin?!" Hattori frowned.

"I only recommended that they go to other cabins because of your insistence!" The man cried. "You were right that it might have caused some nightmares, but anyone who wasn't comfortable could have come talked to me and switched." Lady reluctantly released him and he straightened his shirt, affronted. This must be the guidance counselor. Right, he'd told the director that they should take the girls out of Fern Cabin and just given the director the okay for them to go back.

"I know, I'm sorry." She sighed, but her hands still tightened in fury. "Did you really have to tell her that it was fine to let them go back?" Doc sighed.

"I think that we both know if I hadn't, she would have simply found someone who would say she could." He said. "She prefers people that she can bully. It's just the way she is."

Lady laughed humorlessly. "I know that better than anyone." There was silence for a moment. The conversation seemed to be coming to an end. Hattori realized that she could turn any moment and notice him eavesdropping.

"Oi! Lady-han!" Hattori called, jogging up to them as if he had just gotten there. She glanced up and forced a smile.

"Ah, Hot Head-kun, what are you doing here?" Doc made a fast escape while Lady was distracted, suffering only the parting dirty look Lady aimed at his back.

"Ya left kinda fast. There anythin' I should know 'bout?" He demanded.

"No, not really." Her voice was strained. "I have some stuff to take care of, so if that's all?"

"No, I just wanted ta ask a few more questions." He said. "But, if ya're busy, I needed ta grab somethin' from the direc- I mean, the _Dragon's_ office."

"There's a key on top of the doorframe." Lady said dismissively. "She only worries about kids getting in, and they can't reach it." She rolled her eyes. "One of the councilors started leaving a spare there because she was always sending them to get things from the office without giving them a key."

"Thanks." Hattori grinned. Lady gave him a quick nod and jogged off. Hattori let the smile leave his face. He could have just asked the director to look at the files, but everything about her told him that she would say no. Not because she didn't want him to uncover the culprit, but because she was naturally disagreeable and saw him as less important than she was. Doc was right, she was a bully. Hattori would rather just look at the files while the director was away from the office.

Lady had unknowingly given him all of the access he needed to learn whatever he could from her employee file.

O-O

Fern Cabin was a lot like Ivy Cabin that Hime-chan's friends had dragged Conan to. There was one main difference. Instead of a larger bed at the head of the cabin there was a pair of walls. It seemed that the director merited a room instead of just a bed. It separated her from her campers. Conan suspected that the Dragon was still sleeping in Fern Cabin, he couldn't envision her abandoning her lair for less comfortable conditions. Conan went towards the bathroom and looked under the sink at the pipes. How had the prankster managed to get red dye into the water of just this cabin, as far as he could tell the pipes connected to the rest of the water supply at the camp and it was the only one affected.

Conan frowned at the faucet, then pulled out his handkerchief. Fingers covered he reached out and began to unscrew the nozzle like piece where the water came out. He looked at the tiny mesh that caught large particles closely. Sure enough, there were traces of red on it, from more than just red water passing through it, more like whatever had turned the water red was pressed up against it until it dissolved. Conan dropped the small piece of metal into a plastic bag and pocketed it. A similar trick was probably employed in the showers, though he'd have to check. Maybe there was more of the substance that had turned the water red left in one of the shower heads. Conan had a look at them and frowned. Plastic shower heads, those were not as good as chrome for clean fingerprints if the perpetrator hadn't worn gloves when they unscrewed the shower head.

"Ah, what are you doing here?" Conan almost jumped a foot in the air. He must have been truly absorbed in his thoughts because he didn't hear the young woman enter at all. She smiled at him, tilting her head slightly. "Are you lost, cutie?"

"Ah, no…" He murmured, mind split between scrambling for an excuse and noting how much this woman looked like Ran.

"Ah, you're Tantei-kun, aren't you?" The woman positively beamed. She put down the red bucket of cleaning supplies in her right hand. "So you must be investigating!"

"Um, yeah." Conan nodded, somewhat surprised.

"How cute!" The woman squealed excitedly. Before Conan knew what was happening the woman had crossed the room and lifted him into a tight hug. Great, a hugger who thought he was some kind of plushie. Conan squirmed in the woman's grip. Her arms tightened for just a moment before she released him, and set him back on the ground. "I'm sorry, my name's Rupinasu." Conan raised an eyebrow. "I thought that Hot Head-kun was Hattori Heiji, that Western Detective, but you are _definitely_ Edogawa Conan." Rupinasu delightedly rambled. "I've seen you on the news with Mouri Kogoro." Odd, most people who recognized him brought up his rivalry with the Kaito KID. "Are you trying to find out what happened here? Do you know who did it yet?"

"I just got here." Conan smiled at her like the little kid he was supposed to be. "I don't know what's going on just yet."

"I'm glad that you got here before I started to clean, I wouldn't want to destroy evidence." She said. "Hey, is there anything I can do to help?" She looked at him expectantly with big eyes.

"Um…" Conan glanced around the bathroom, partly to think of something to say and partly to avoid the avid, almost adoring, gaze of a woman who looked way too much like Ran for his comfort. His eyes landed on the shower heads. He realized that even with a stool they were too high for him to unscrew (irritating tiny body). "Do you think that you could take off the shower head? I think there might be something inside."

"You got it!" The girl bounced up and grabbed yellow gloves out of the bucket that she'd abandoned in favor of hugging the detective. She stepped in front of the shower and stretched up a little bit more than necessary to remove the shower head. Rupinasu lowered the shower head gently, and held it out to Conan. "Is that what you are looking for?" She asked. Conan looked at the shower head. There was powdery red dust packed tightly inside. The shower had not been turned on, so the dried food coloring was intact.

"Put it in here." Conan ordered, holding a plastic bag open. "And you might want to check the other showers while you're cleaning, Rupinasu-san." He added, a bit grimly, as she gingerly dumped the powder inside the bag. "We wouldn't want a repeat of this."

"Whatever you say, Tantei-kun." She said seriously before the ever lurking smile broke out across her face again. "And you can call me 'neechan'!"

"Uh, okay," Conan nodded uncertainly. "Rupinasu-neechan." Conan hadn't thought it was possible for Rupinasu's beam to increase, but it did the second the honorific left his mouth.

"Alright, let me know when it's okay to clean, Tantei-kun, and if you need anything else." She declared happily.

"Will do." Conan smiled at him. Rupinasu's grin widened even more. Conan moved through the room, trying to ignore Rupinasu's gaze. "You know you could help me look, for anything odd." Conan said, more to get her to stop staring at him than anything else.

"Really!" Rupinasu gasped enthusiastically. "I'd love to!"

. _

.^_O~

Kaito was really trying to stay calm, but it was hard. He had hugged Conan! He had hugged Conan and not been threatened with a soccer ball (or worse, _hit_ with a soccer ball)! Not only that, he hadn't even been yelled at! Clearly he had made the right choice disguising as a girl. Maybe it was stupid to get this excited about a hug, but he really couldn't help it. The closest he'd been to Conan without the detective trying to arrest him was the time he'd disguised as Ran on the Suzuki's cruise ship, and he couldn't really do something out of Ran's character without giving himself away. It was great to be able to create a character who could get close to Conan.

Of course, he was pretty nervous. He didn't want Conan to work out who he was, and he was really starting to rethink his camp name. But it wasn't like him _not_ to leave _some_ kind of clue. He just worried he'd been too obvious. Conan moved throughout the cabin, sharp eyes picking up everything. He took interest in the bed closest to the small room that Kaito could only assume was for the councilor. Conan untied a small length of bracelet with long threads trailing from it that had been attached to the bed post.

"Is that a friendship bracelet?" He asked, curiously.

"Uh-huh," Conan muttered, pulling something out of his own pocket. It was another half completed friendship bracelet. He compared the two. Apparently satisfied he slipped both into his pocket. But not before Kaito recognized the colors that Conan had picked out for _his_ friendship bracelet, that afternoon. If he hadn't been in character (wearing Rupinasu as a poker face) his eyes would have narrowed. He _wanted_ that bracelet, more than he'd wanted any gem encrusted monstrosity or intricate piece of jewelry. It _would_ be his… just as soon as Conan finished it. "Rupinasu-san, ah, -neesan, I'm almost done here." Conan straightened.

"Oh? Did you find what you were looking for?" Kaito asked in his teenage-girl-thinks-there's-nothing-cuter-than-a-child-detective voice (nothing _was_ cuter than a child detective, so it wasn't a hard voice for him to master).

"It'll take more than this to find the truth." Conan flashed him that mature, confident grin that would have made Kaito swoon if it were on a face ten years older. "But I've found bits and pieces to the truth, and that's important. Right?"

"Yeah!" Kaito nodded enthusiastically, only half aware what he was agreeing to. Abruptly he realized Conan was moving towards the door. Oh shoot! If Conan was done investigating here that meant he was leaving! "Do you mind helping me out cleaning?" His mind grabbed at the only thing that he could think of to make the little detective stay. Conan paused and gave him a flat look, which he quickly replaced with a childish grin.

"I'm sorry, Rupinasu-neechan, but I want to go return this bracelet to my friend Hime-chan!" The smile looked fond. Even though it look more like the fond expression someone had for a younger individual, and not the way Conan looked at Ran, Kaito had to suppress a surge of jealousy.

"Alright, I'll see you later then…" Kaito said, not even trying to mask his disappointment, before he brightened. "We can eat dinner together!"

"Huh?" Conan looked up from the door in confusion.

"It's perfect! I'll see you then, Tan~tei~kun!" Kaito sang and skipped into the bathroom before Conan could argue. He heard the door close behind Conan and silently congratulated himself. Perfect! Now he had an excuse to eat with Conan!

Kaito moved from faucet to faucet, checking for the dried food coloring that had caused so many problems. It really was a poor prank. It would have worn off quickly if the cabin had remained in use, but it seemed… improvised. Kaito stood back and tried to think of how he would have done it. Kaito jumped as the sprinklers outside turned on. He shook himself. This was stupid. The sooner he finished cleaning the sooner he could do something to find the prankster and ensure Tantei-kun's attendance at his heist.

Though… cleaning left his mind free to wander. And as long as he was thinking of pranks, he might as well come up with a few for a certain hot headed detective. Kaito grinned. There would still be time to prank him _after_ they caught the real prankster after all.

O-O

Conan was walking down the path looking for Hime-chan. One of her cabin mates had pointed him in this direction when he asked where she was. He wanted to ask her about times that anyone could have put the food coloring in the showers. Since he had found her bracelet in the cabin (he compared it to the one she helped him make) he had an excuse to talk to her. Besides, Lady had asked him to keep an eye on her, and Conan really didn't have a reason not to check in.

Conan froze as he heard the faint sounds of sobbing. He continued on, a little more cautiously, worried of farther upsetting who ever was crying. He made his way towards the sound. It wasn't long before Conan found Hime-chan hidden behind a large rock and two trees. Conan had never done well with girls crying, whether it was Ran waiting for Shinichi or Ayumi after they'd stumbled across a murder or Haibara finally letting herself sob over her sister's death, but he couldn't just stand there. He approached her.

"Hime-chan?" He said gently. The girl froze mid sob. "Is there something wrong?" The girl tried to scrub her face as quick as she could before she looked up.

"Tantei-kun, I'll be fine." She said in a weak, cracked voice. "Just a little upset." Conan walked over to her and took a seat beside her, leaning against a tree trunk.

"It's okay to be upset and it's okay to cry." He told her. "Crying can be good." Hime-chan's already red eyes filled with tears once more, but though they began to fall, she did not sob the way she had when Conan had first walked up. Conan considered what to say next, and decided that, given Hime-chan's trust in Lady, the truth was the best way to go. "Lady asked me to keep an eye on you. She seemed to think that you'd be upset about going back to Fern Cabin." That was all it took. Hime-chan leaned on to Conan, buried her face into his shoulder, and clung to his shirt. Conan patted her arm awkwardly. He wouldn't have noticed the flinch if she weren't holding on to him. Conan stiffened. Then he looked down at the hand clenched in his shirt. He eased the sleeve down to the elbow. What he saw made him hiss in anger and disbelief.

"Oh Hime-chan…"

"I fell." Hime-chan lied automatically. Conan's mouth tightened.

"Hime-chan, I'm called Tantei-kun for a reason. Those are finger marks. And they can't be more than two days old." Conan's arms settled around the girl in a protective and reassuring hug. "That means that it was someone here. Someone who you are used to protecting." Conan trailed off. He thought that it should be obvious, both of them knew who was abusing her. "That's why you're so upset that you're going back to Fern Cabin." Hime-chan's hands tightened on his shirt.

"I don't want to go back!" She wailed into his shoulder loud enough to be heard. "I don't want to go back to Fern Cabin!" Conan tried to calm her down. He saw the boy who had been glaring at him, the boy who had a crush on Hime-chan staring at them. He'd clearly heard that last outburst, but none of the rest. Conan shook his head slightly at the boy, and he seemed to understand now was not the time for petty rivalries. He turned and walked away.

Hime-chan was being abused by her mother, the director. It was the major piece that they were missing, and changed the meaning of the pranks. They weren't malice or cruel. They were calculated with a very specific goal in mind. Keeping Hime-chan away from her abuser.


	10. The Lady Knight

Kaito sighed as he left Fern Cabin. Now that that was done he could do some actual investigating. He started towards the director's office. Anything worth snooping on would be in there. If anyone asked he'd just say he was going to tell her that the cabin was clean. Kaito hopped over a muddy part of the path and frowned at the sprinklers, which had been on way too long. Part of him would like nothing more than to track mud into the director's office but 'freeloader' Rupinasu-chan would probably have to clean it up anyway.

Kaito made his way to the director's office. He stiffened slightly when he heard something inside. Great, now he'd have to deal with the freaking Dragon. Kaito slipped into the room silent room with the hope of startling the director by being there when she looked up. But it wasn't the director reading files at the desk it was one very tan, soul-mate-stealing detective. And given the body language that the teen was conveying. He wasn't supposed to be there.

"Are you kidding me?!" Kaito demanded, hands on his hips. Hattori jumped comically high in the air. "You don't sit and _read_ files that you aren't supposed to be reading!" Kaito lectured him. Hattori stared at him, mouth hanging open. He wasn't even trying to stutter an excuse. "You take _pictures_ of them!"

"What?" The Osakan said blankly. Kaito face palmed.

"Get out your phone and take pictures of the files." He said. "I'll be the lookout, and stall anyone who's headed this way. Now hurry it up!" Kaito turned on his heel and marched out, having just enough presence of mind to flip his long brown hair before he went. It was only once Kaito was outside, ready to distract anyone who might walk in on the Western Detective's espionage that he realized what he'd done. Okay, so he hadn't _exactly_ planned on helping Hattori, but at least it would wrap up this troublesome mystery faster, right?

Ten minutes later, Hattori left the office, presumably with a phone full of photos that would be boring files to Kaito, but interesting clues to the detectives. "Well, anything interesting?" Kaito asked impatiently as they walked away.

"I haven't had the chance ta go through it all yet." Hattori said. "Good tip on the photos tho'." Hattori shot him an odd look. "Why din't ya turn me in?"

"I assumed you were trying to catch the prankster." Kaito answered. "You can't deny that you're Hattori Heiji now."

"I guess not." Hattori chuckled sheepishly. His phone began to vibrate. Hattori took it out. "Huh, Ku- Tantei-kun says he's got more info on the case."

"Really! Well let's go see him!" Kaito immediately began to bounce as they walked. Hattori shook his head and looked at him with a bit of amusement.

"He says that he's gonna be tied up for a little while." Hattori stopped him. Kaito noticeably wilted. "What are ya a fan or somethin'?"

"Something like that." Kaito muttered. Then he grinned mischievously. "There's just something so adorable about a kid detective!" He entered full Rupinasu mode. Hattori looked like he was trying not to laugh. "He's so cute!" Hattori's badly constructed mask over his amusement cracked, and he doubled over with mirth.

"I'd like ta see ya say that ta his face!" Hattori gasped. "Ah! I owe ya for that tip. So I'll show ya somethin' good." He started flipping through the photos on his phone. "Here it is." Hattori turned the phone towards him and Kaito gasped. Displayed on the phone was Conan looking down from a tree. His face was neither serious nor childish, just observant and curious. Hattori blinked, suddenly the phone was no longer in his hands. Instead, Rupinasu was holding it, delighting in going through his pictures.

"These are hilarious!" He laughed at a picture of Conan tangled in yarn. "Where did you get these?!"

"I took a few of 'em myself." Hattori grinned smugly. "His neechan sends me a few also." He took the phone back from Kaito, who reluctantly relinquished it. "But don't tell him." Hattori cautioned. "He'll delete 'em if he knows!"

"My lips are sealed!" Kaito promised. Though he would be stealing Hattori's phone later to mail all of said photos to himself. He wondered if there was a way to divert the photos Ran sent to Hattori to him.

"The kid's hilarious when he's flustered." Hattori continued. He then went on to recount a few of stories featuring the child detective, though he stuttered in places, as if he was about to say something he shouldn't. If Kaito wasn't so determined to dislike Hattori, he'd have enjoyed his company.

O-O

When Conan caught up to Hattori about half an hour later, the other detective was going through the files on his phone. Rupinasu had been summoned by the Dragon. "We were wrong." Conan said flatly.

"Wrong 'bout what?" Hattori glanced up.

"The director has been abusing her daughter, that girl Hime-chan." Conan informed him. Hattori dropped his phone.

"That changes everythin'." He said, then fury crossed his face. "That b-"

"Not at a children's camp." Conan snapped. He was around children too often to swear much anymore, but he was of the same opinion as Hattori. After twenty minutes of comforting a scared little girl he wanted nothing more than to lock the Dragon up and throw away the key. "If it _is_ the motive it also makes sense with the timeline." Hattori glanced at him questioningly.

"The swapping of the signs created a smoke screen so that the prankster could plant the dye without being suspected. And kept the director and Hime-chan apart until really late. Then the 'blood' thing happened first thing in the morning, and the girls were immediately reassigned to other cabins." Conan outlined. "The bruises I just saw on Hime-chan looked about two days old, which would put it right before the dead possum showed up on the director's office step."

"It was a threat." Hattori said grimly. "A dead rat."

"How appropriate." Conan said dryly. "And with the girls going back to the cabins…"

"Another prank is due." Hattori groaned. "And given that they've been escalating."

"It's going to be bad." An alarm cut through the camp. Hattori and Conan looked at each other and sprinted in the direction of Fern Cabin.

They saw the smoke before they got there. It wasn't as bad as they had been expecting. Though there was copious amounts of smoke billowing from the windows, the cabin wasn't engulfed in flames or anything. The detectives both noticed the sprinklers surrounding the cabin were on. The Dragon was shrieking. She was shouting orders but no one really knew what to do. Conan and Hattori instantly took charge. Hattori grabbed a fire extinguisher and jumped through one of the open windows. Conan tired to keep the others back, but was having trouble getting counselors to listen to him.

"No! Don't open the door!" He shouted. The influx of oxygen could create a back draft and Hattori was still inside! "No, don't!" He shouted as Wolf reached for the handle.

"HEY! You heard Tantei-kun!" A loud commanding voice made Wolf jump. Rupinasu was standing behind Conan, glaring fiercely. "EVERYONE get back!" She ordered with a shout. The counselors moved away from the cabin. Rupinasu's eyes moved around them. "Where's Hattori-kun?" She muttered.

"He went inside." Conan replied.

"He really is a hot head." Rupinasu growled. Hattori stumbled through the window coughing.

"Give it," He cleared his throat. "A few minutes." He was overcome with coughing.

"Idiot." Conan muttered. He grabbed a water bottle from another counselor and brought it to his friend.

"Fire's out." Hattori announced after a large swig of water. "No real damage, but I don't think the girls should move back in here tonight." His announcement sparked a relieved flurry of activity. People moved among themselves, talking and looking uncertainly at the cabin. Hattori turned to Conan. "It's the type of fire that's designed to be smoky, rather than really catch." He murmured.

"Whoever it was took precautions too." Conan responded. "With those sprinklers for the bushes on for as long as they were, nothing nearby the cabin _could_ catch."

"Probably not a camper then." Hattori muttered. "Kids don't usually think things through that much." Conan nodded. For an instant he'd thought it could be that boy who had a crush on Hime-chan and heard her cry that she didn't want to return to the Fern Cabin, but it was clearly the work of the prankster. Someone Conan already knew had to be an adult.

"There was dye in the shower heads. Kids are too short to reach them, even with a stool. If the same person is responsible, it has to be an adult." Hattori nodded, and cast his eye around them. He'd be hard pressed not to notice Rupinasu listening. Conan followed his gaze. "Her again?" He muttered. "What's that huggy fangirl want?"

"Ta help, I think." Hattori grinned. "We'll talk later." Hattori moved off to organize the counselors. Conan watched him before he turned his gaze to Rupinasu. She gave Conan a massive, sunny smile. He shifted uncomfortably. Then his phone buzzed. Ah, the background check on Haruto Akane, the director, that he'd asked Takagi for. Perfect.

. _

.^_O~

Kaito wasn't entirely happy when he was waved away from Conan, _again_ , but since the boy seemed fully absorbed in his phone at least he wasn't missing much. He was pulling smoky, sooty sheets from the beds when Hattori caught him.

"Rupinasu, could ya do me a favor?" The detective asked. Kaito blinked at him. He was already helping clean, what more could he want? Hattori pulled him aside. "Would ya mind keepin' an eye on Lady-han for me?" He asked in a low voice so as not to be overheard.

"What for?" Kaito asked. Hattori rolled his eyes.

"Ya can't be that dense." Hattori muttered. Kaito felt his hackles raise. Hattori realized how that sounded. "No, no." He raised his hands quickly. "I just meant that ya seemed too smart for somethin' like- I mean," He rubbed his forehead. "Ya know why Ku- Tantei-kun and I are here."

"Yeah… But who says I want to get involved?" Kaito asked crossing his arms. He did, of course, and maybe he shouldn't be balking at an invitation to join the investigation, but he still wanted to make things difficult for the hot headed detective. Even if they had bonded a bit over cute photos of Conan.

"Ya're a fan of Tantei-kun, right? Well, ya'd be helpin' _him_ out, since there's this heist thin' that he really wants ta go ta." Hattori grinned, a bit smugly, but Kaito really didn't notice. All he heard was that Conan had been looking forward to his heist. Conan was looking forward to seeing him!

"Why is he here if he wants to go to Kaitou KID's heist?" Kaito was glad that his voice wasn't petulant, it only held a note of Rupinasu's curiosity and fan fueled interest.

"Cause I'm impulsive and din't know he'd get mad at me for it." Hattori replied, and muttered under his breath "That guy always likes a case. How was I supposed ta know he had somethin' planned."

 _You could have called._ Kaito thought bitterly. "Alright, I'll help." He said brightly.

"Great." Hattori grinned. "Because if my deduction's correct at least one other person wants Tantei-kun to be there." Kaito looked at his suspiciously, though his face only showed Rupinasu's confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hattori's response was a smirk that looked eerily similar to Conan's. Kaito didn't like it half as much on the Osakan detective's face.

"Nothing." Hattori snickered. "Nothing at all."

O-O

"Okay, so whatcha got?" Hattori asked Conan, sitting heavily at the shady picnic table beside the mostly deserted cafeteria. Once the chaos from the fire was over, they'd been pulled back into camp activities. Conan and Hattori had barely been able to escape camp sing-along, Hattori pleading a sore throat from the smoke and Conan claiming he was afraid the other kids would bully him for his poor vocal skills (something that hadn't worked until Conan had chosen to demonstrate just how bad his voice was; they'd excused him rather quickly after that).

"I got a background check on Haruto Akane." Conan answered. "Forty three years old. Blood type O. Divorced once, ten years ago from Hamano Hayate. They had a daughter but she didn't fight for custody."

"Might be somethin' there." Hattori said grimly. "If she beats on Hime-chan, she probably abused her first daughter also."

"Nothing was reported, but given that she didn't fight for custody, it seems likely that she had something to hide. The divorce went through very quickly." Conan responded.

"Now that _is_ odd." The Osakan detective scratched his chin. "She seems like the sort ta drag it out. Take her husband for all that he's worth."

Conan shrugged. "She remarried just a few months after her divorce, and Hime-chan was born soon after that." Conan frowned. "I've compared the dates, by the way. Hime-chan was either born very early, assuming a pregnancy immediately after the wedding, or a few weeks late, if the director was pregnant when she divorced her first husband."

"That _would_ explain the quick divorce." Hattori muttered.

"Regardless," Conan continued. "The director's second husband, Haruto Akio, died about five years ago. He left her a decent amount of holdings, including this camp."

"Ya know, these trick could also just be drivin' people away from the camp. Could be revenge, or rival camps, or even a disgruntled counselor, heck, I'd kinda like ta prank the director, and I don't even actually work for her." Hattori leaned back with his arms crossed thoughtfully. "I'm just sayin', we don't know for sure that the pranks are 'cause of the abuse."

"The timeline matches up too much for them to be unrelated." Conan argued. "And this latest incident only confirms it. Why target the only _empty_ cabin the same day that it's announce the girls, _Hime-chan_ , will return to the cabin where her mother is?" Hattori was forced to concede.

"I guess ya're right… The prank was pretty clearly meant to make the cabin uninhabitable. That smoke smell'll stick 'round for weeks." Hattori seemed to lose himself in thought for just a second before he sighed. "Kudo, this is the type of thin' that really could lead ta murder."

Conan grimaced. He didn't like the idea of protecting an abuser like Haruto Akane, but she didn't deserve to die. Besides, he couldn't allow a well-meaning self-appointed guardian become a murderer. "I think you're right, Hattori. Going from switching cabin names to arson in less than a week is pretty extreme case of escalation. If this protector feels like she can't keep Hime-chan from the director, she might decide it's the only way…"

"Ya said 'she', so ya think that it's Lady-han also, huh?" Hattori asked. Conan sighed.

"There really isn't anyone else it could be." He replied. "Whoever it was clearly knew about the abuse before hand since the first prank was on the first night, and she and Hime-chan are very attached to each other." Conan adjusted his glasses. "I wouldn't be surprised if Lady-san only came to this camp so that Hime-chan wouldn't be alone with her mother again. And then there are the names…"

"The names?" Hattori's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Lady and Hime?"

"Lady isn't her full name." Conan said with certainty. "I saw it in the book that she gave Hime. It was called Alanna." Conan glanced at Hattori. "Alanna, the Lady Knight." Realization dawned on Hattori's face.

"A knight, who protects the _princess_ from the _dragon_." Hattori shook his head. "She's certainly got a poetic flair. Doesn't she?" A wry grin spread across his face. "Not that she's the only one ta use camp names ta leave a clue."

"What?" Conan looked at him quizzically.

"Ah, nothin'," He chuckled quickly and returned to the subject at hand. "It seems ta me that the best way to stop the camp pranks is ta get the Hime away from the Dragon." He picked up Conan's phone to scroll through the background check. Surely there was something there they could use.

"That's the trouble…" Conan absent mindedly pulled the friendship bracelet out of his pocket and started knotting it again. He found that he wanted to finish it more than he'd learned what Hime-chan had been going through, if only because it would make her happy if he could show her and tell her what a good teacher she was. "It's hard to get any real action on abuse cases… I can only assume that's why Lady didn't report it in the first place. She wouldn't have gotten this job if-"

Conan was interrupted by Hattori's enthusiastic exclamation. "Ah-hah! That's it!"

"What?" Conan peered at the phone in Hattori's hand.

"It says here that after the divorce, the director's first husband remarried. His second wife's name's Hamano Keiko. She had a daughter also." Hattori told him excitedly. Conan nodded, waiting for him to continue as Hattori fumbled with his own phone. "Well, if I remember right," Hattori pulled up a photo from Lady's employee file. "Lady's emergency contact is her mother." Hattori turned the photo towards Conan. "Ayumu Keiko." Conan blinked.

"You think it's the same person?"

"Why not? It'd make Lady-han Hime-chan's stepsister, wouldn't it?" He pointed out. "It makes sense that Lady-han is so protective if they're sisters! And her employee file says her name is Ayumu Natsuki. So if she didn't take her stepfather's name after the marriage the Dragon would have no way ta know that they're connected." Conan listened to Hattori's deduction with narrowed eyes. But his own theory was formulating.

"The braids." He muttered. He glanced down at the friendship bracelet Hime-chan had helped him start. "The bracelets and braids…"

"Whatcha thinkin' Kudo?" Hattori asked, half grinning half wanting to figure out what Conan had before the diminutive detective told him.

"I think that we should call that number." Conan decided. He searched his pockets for his bowtie. Hattori dialed the number listed for Ayumu Keiko and handed the phone to Conan once he'd adjusted the bowtie to a pleasant female voice. The phone rang a few times.

"Hello?" A cheerful and surprisingly young voice answered.

"Hi, I'm calling for Ayumu-san? Is she there?" Conan asked through the bowtie.

"This is Ayumu-san." The voice replied puzzled.

"Ayumu Keiko-san?" Conan persisted.

"Oh. Oh!" Ayumu-san exclaimed. "Uh, yes that's me." She had pitched her voice lower.

"This is the Green Tree Sleepover Camp. We had a little incident over here, nothing serious!" Conan hastily added. "But we are checking to see all of our emergency contacts are up to date. You are Ayumu Natsuki's mother, correct?"

"Yes," Ayumu-san said after only the slightest hesitation.

"And do you have any other children?" Conan inquired.

"Well, yes, I have a stepdaughter." Ayumu-san replied confused. "Why?"

"We need a second emergency contact. May we use her?" Conan said, in a voice that made it sound less like a question than a statement.

"Um, it's really better if we stick with this number." Ayumu-san sounded flustered. "If that's all?" She clearly wanted to get off the phone.

"Just one last thing." Conan said quickly. "I wanted to confirm your daughter's blood type."

"It's AB." Ayumu-san said automatically.

"Are you sure?" Conan stressed. "If we have the wrong blood type in our files and there's some kind of accident, it will be very dangerous if the wrong blood type was used during a transfusion." Ayumu-san paused.

"Now that you mention it… It's my other daughter, my stepdaughter, who is AB, Natsuki is type O. Please update your records."

"Right away." Conan smiled pleasantly, even though she couldn't see it. "Thank you for your time. Have a nice day."

"You too." The phone disconnected. Hattori leaned back.

"Well, that was informative." He said, coming to the same conclusion Conan had. Conan grinned.

"It really was."

. _

.^_O~

After following Lady around for a while Kaito had come to a series of interesting conclusions. One, the woman had a poker face, a seriously good one that was created by harsh conditions rather than carefully cultivated the way Kaito's had. Two, something was stressing her out. Anger leaked from her impressive poker face whenever the Dragon was mentioned. She started to flinch when people touched her, it was hardly noticeable but Kaito was watching for it. Kaito frowned. He didn't think she'd been doing that earlier that day. It seemed like something she was used to suppressing. Maybe becoming an arsonist had shaken her more than he thought. After all, if she weren't the prankster why would Hattori ask him to follow her around. Heck, why was the Detective of the West asking him to engage in covert surveillance anyway? He surely didn't suspect, right?

Kaito blandly wondered all of this from the rooftop where he was longing, half to follow Lady undetected and half to hide from the Dragon or anyone else who wanted him to clean something else. Kaito glanced down and saw Lady moving away from her group of girls after waving another counselor over to look after them. She patted Hime-chan on the shoulder before she walked off. (Kaito had noticed her keeping closer to that girl, and a hug even passed between them after the fire.) Kaito slid down the gutter along the edge of the building, and slipped into the wooded area around the meadow where Lady was walking. Lady moved towards the shadows of the trees.

"Hello? Natsuki? Is something wrong?" Lady murmured, just loud enough for Kaito to hear her through the bug he'd planted. A phone call. Kaito's ears perked up. This could be interesting. "Natsuki, slow down." Lady ordered the person on the other end of the call. "Now what happened?" Lady listened for a moment. "No, it's alright." The other person, Natsuki, seemed to be worried about something. "I'm not coming back yet." She said adamantly. "I'm not leaving her alone with _that woman_." She spat the words. Lady listened, still trying to control her anger. "Yes, Natsuki, I know, but I'm not going to leave her, she's been through enough already." Lady sighed in response to something Natsuki said. "It's alright, after Monday, she'll never be able to hurt her again." Lady glanced back toward the campers. "I have to go. Stop worrying, whatever happens I'll take care of it." Natsuki said something that made Lady smile. "I'm sure she'll be excited to meet you too." She paused. "Alright, I love you too." Lady hung up the phone and returned to the campers.

Kaito swallowed. What was going to happen Monday? Was Lady planning on murdering someone?! He wouldn't normally think so, but Lady _had_ set a building on fire and there were not one but _two_ detectives at the camp, people he knew from experience were attracted to murder like moths to a flame. Kaito slipped away. He had to talk to the detectives _now_.

O-O

"Tantei-kun!" Conan blinked. That sounded like… He turned slowly to see Rupinasu running up to them. "Hot Head-kun!" Conan eyed the woman suspiciously. It was a different voice, but he swore, that inflection sounded an awful lot like… Conan shook it off. That was stupid. What reason would that person have to be here? "I'm glad I found you." Rupinasu said, barely out of breath despite her sprint. "I think that Lady-chan is planning something. Something bad, on Monday."

"What? Why?" Hattori asked. Rupinasu barely spared him a glance before she looked back at Conan.

"She got a phone call from someone called Natsuki." The detectives exchanged sharp smiles. "What? Why are you grinning like that?"

"You just confirmed a suspicion for us, that's all." Conan assured her, patting her arm.

"Awesome! Glad I could help." She beamed at Conan. "Anyway, Natsuki was really worried about something, but Lady-chan reassured her, and said that she wasn't going to let someone hurt someone else again." Rupinasu took a deep breath, interrupting his own hyperactive ramblings. "And _then_ she said that whoever it was would never hurt her again after Monday… And then I ran off to find you because that sounded really bad to me." Hattori frowned.

"Ya're right, that _does_ sound pretty bad." He said. Rupinasu stared down at Conan.

"So, what did you figure out?" She demanded impatiently. Conan started at being addressed so directly. Not many people asked a kid stuff like that.

"Um…" He glanced at Hattori for help, but he was just standing there looking amused. Jerk. "Not a lot. Maybe you shouldn't worry about it." He smiled innocently at Rupinasu. He'd thought that she was the type to instantly squeal and fall apart at his super cute persona. He was astonished when she crossed her arms, looked at him more seriously than he'd seen her look before and stated in a deadpan, but mischievous voice.

"If you keep stalling I'm going to hug you until you talk." Conan's jaw dropped. Hattori burst out laughing. Rupinasu grinned victoriously.

"Go on and tell her." Hattori gasped between his chuckles. Conan turned a death glare at him. Hattori rolled his eyes. "We both know that ya're dyin' ta tell someone, ya showoff."

"That's rich coming from you." Conan retorted, but reluctantly turned to Rupinasu and began his deduction. "According to the employee files, Lady's real name is Ayumu Natsuki."

"But since Natsuki called her, I assume that's not her real name." Rupinasu jumped in.

"Correct." Conan grinned. "Ayumu Natsuki is Lady's stepsister, and accomplice. She let Lady use her name and covered for her if anyone called. She needed an identity that could stand up to a background check that some schools and camps run on TAs and counselors."

"And she couldn't use her real name because…?" Rupinasu prompted Conan.

"Because she's the director's daughter." Conan answered. "And Hime-chan's sister. It was the braids and the bracelets that gave me the clue. Lady did these complicated braids on all of the girls in her cabin. Hime-chan did these incredibly complex bracelets, and had just as complicated braids on either side of some of those bracelets. Braiding is a skill they would have learned from their mother, you saw how extravagant her hairstyle was today. Ayumu Natsuki never knew the director, she couldn't have learned anything from her." Conan had that grin again. That grin that said that he understood everything. "The director never even knew that she existed. So Lady _had_ to be the director's first daughter. The one that she lost in the divorce ten years ago." The grin slid from Conan's face, and he exchanged a glance with Hattori. "The daughter that we are almost certain she abused as much as she is currently abusing Hime-chan." Rupinasu's face went slack with shock.

"What?"

"Hime-chan's big sister came back ta protect her." Hattori added. There was a grim aura around him. "And now she's gonna do whatever it takes ta keep her safe."


	11. The Lady's Plans

Kaito had been horrified to learn the true motive for the pranks and the arson… If ever there was a justified crime, this was it. "So what are you going to do?" Kaito asked. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. This was what the detectives were there to do. To uphold the law… Lady _had_ broken the law, even if it was for the right reason.

"We're going to help her." Conan stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Kaito blinked.

"Wait, so you're not going to arrest her?" Kaito stared down at his soul mate. He snorted.

"I'm eight. How am I supposed to arrest someone?"

"Not that ya would even if ya could, ya softie." Hattori knocked Conan the shoulder good-naturedly. "Not unless she actually hurt somebody."

"But, she broke the law." Kaito pressed. This was _important_. If Conan could forgive this, maybe the whole detective thing wasn't quite as big a problem as he thought.

"Property damage." Hattori scoffed.

"Hattori commits that crime practically every time he enters a china shop." Conan added with a badly concealed smirk.

"Like ya're one ta talk!" Hattori protested. "With that soccer ball of yer's!" Kaito grinned in agreement.

"So… You're really not going to do anything? I thought that detectives were all about punishing the guilty." Kaito asked eagerly.

"And who is guilty?" Conan demanded. "The girl breaking the law to protect a child or the woman beating a child?" Kaito couldn't resist. He scooped Conan into a hug and squeezed him tightly to his (fake) chest.

"You're the best!" He squealed, spinning around. Hattori was laughing almost hysterically while Conan unsuccessfully tried to squirm out of his arms.

"Let go!" He demanded. Kaito gave him one final squeeze and then placed him on a bench so that Conan was level with him and Hattori. Conan straightened his coat indignantly, while Hattori let his laughter fade. "If you're done…" Conan muttered, glaring at the two of them.

"Ya're right, sorry." Hattori's voice turned serious. "The important thin' now is ta make sure that Lady doesn't do anythin' really serious." Conan nodded in agreement.

"I wish we knew what she had planned for Monday." He sighed. "I want to believe that she wouldn't do anything to hurt her mother…"

"But with yer luck there'll be a murder." Hattori commented, only half teasing.

"Shut up, Hattori. Luck isn't real." Conan muttered though he sounded a bit too dejected to really believe that.

"No wonder you've got no luck, if you go around saying stuff like that." Kaito tutted. "You've offended her! I always pay homage to Lady Luck, and she's _always_ come through for me." _Well, almost always._ He looked down at Conan. _Not that I'd change anything except his age._ He thought fondly.

"Ya sound awfully proud for someone who attributes all their accomplishments ta fate."

"Fate, nothing." Kaito scoffed. "There's a difference between fate and luck. I prepare for everything! The odds just happen to work in my favor."

"Sounds to me like you make your own luck." Conan pointed out almost triumphantly.

"Yeah, but some of my plans only have a 50/50 chance of working, and they always do!" Kaito positively beamed. "If that's not luck, I don't know what is."

"We're getting off topic." Conan huffed. "We need to work out how to help Hime-chan and Lady before something happens."

"There you are, Rupinasu-chan!" Kaito and the detectives looked up to see Wolf, the counselor with a crush, running up to them, completely interrupting their conversation. Normally, the prankster in Kaito would find it hilarious that he'd gotten a boy to fall for him. Now he found it annoying. How dare some boy with puppy love interrupt rare quality time with his soul mate? "Hey," Wolf grinned, slightly out of breath." "We're about to light the bonfire. Do you want to come?" Then he seemed to notice Hattori and Conan. "Shouldn't you two be over there?" He asked with a frown. "The Dragon does _not_ like it when people miss activities. We're already late for the camp songs." Kaito was fascinated by Conan's abrupt expression of horror, and Hattori's partly concealed amusement, as wolf dragged them back to the other campers and counselor. He was incredibly curious to find that none of the counselors were inclined to force Conan to sing. Kaito put it on his never-ending list of things to find out about Edogawa Conan.

Kaito's favorite part of the night was probably when Conan deduced that 'Rupinasu-neesan' was the one who kept stealing Hattori's marshmallows from his stick on the fire and then bribed him to stop with smores. Smores made by Conan was worth stopping his pranks! Conan seemed to actually have the patience to toast the delicate white cylinders of sugar to golden perfection, while Kaito (eager for his sugar fix) always burned them and made do with the charred bits.

When the campers were settling down for spooky stories around the fire, Kaito reached out to pull Conan into a hug on his lap, but Hattori was giving him an odd look so he sat the boy on the log next to him instead. When they brought out blankets Kaito was eager to grab one for him and Conan to share, but before he could move, Wolf (who had been talking to Hattori) draped one over his and 'Rupinasu-chan's' shoulders. Kaito didn't have even a moment to protest before he felt someone shift Conan from beside him and take a seat. Kaito whipped around to find a certain tanned hot head taking _his_ place beside Conan and wrapping a blanket securely around him while he muttered about colds. Conan protested, then sighed and threw one side of the blanket over the older detective because there weren't enough blankets for the counselors. Hattori had stolen Conan from him for a second time in twenty-four hours. Just like that, all of the good will the Osakan detective had accrued that day disappeared.

O-O

Conan could not restrain his laughter when Hattori walked into the dining hall for breakfast. His hair was a multi-colored explosion of neon. One of Hattori's eyebrows was bright purple and the other was pink. Conan didn't know that natural hair could be dyed such vibrant colors. He'd only seen the like on synthetic cosplay wigs. When Hattori tried to stop one of the other counselors from yelling at him about the dress code Conan spotted the cramped white writing on the back of his neck. He squinted at it and burst into another bout of laughter when he read "Needs 8 year-old to solve cases". He wondered if he should tell Hattori about it.

"I told ya! I din't do it!" Hattori yelled over the giggling of the campers. "I just woke up like this!" Hattori stalked over to the table where Conan was almost suffocating while he tried to contain his laughter. Hattori stopped in front of him. "Ya done?" He growled.

"I'm trying." Conan gasped. "I swear, I'm trying not to-" But one look at Hattori's unamused face framed by his bright hair was enough to make him dissolve into barely choked off sniggers.

"I think Hot Head-niichan's hair looks pretty…" Hime-chan murmured shyly. Hattori opened his mouth and closed it. He looked entirely lost at what to say. Conan slumped over the table, hands over his mouth, his entire body shaking as he tried to suppress the laughter threatening to over take him again.

"Uh, thank ya, Hime-chan." Hattori said, shooting Conan a dirty look as he got himself under control again.

"Do you think it was the prankster?" One of the girls asked. Lady noticeably stiffened.

"Oh, I think it was _a_ prankster." Conan snickered. Hattori blinked and drew him to the other edge of the table to give them some modicum of privacy.

"When'd ya figure it out?" He looked at his small friend curiously. Conan rolled his eyes.

"When he started stealing flaming marshmallows. He is the only one crazy enough to steal something on fire, let alone eat it." Conan was smirking. "I decided to keep playing along to see what he was up to." He frowned. "Though I'm surprised that he didn't prank me. He doesn't know you that well." Conan thought about it a moment, then shrugged. "The clinginess must be his prank for me." He reasoned. "He knows I don't really like it, and probably thinks I'll be even more flustered when I find out that it's him." Hattori didn't really think so… but Conan knew the thief better so he was probably right. Still, Hattori hadn't been entirely comfortable with how Kaitou KID was acting with his best friend towards the end of the night. He resolved to keep an eye on him, and maybe get back at him for this whole hair fiasco. Hattori was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Conan eyeing his hair.

Conan stood up on the bench for a better look. "I think this is permanent." He said, catching Hattori's attention. Conan reached up and touched his friend's now brightly colored hair. "How did you sleep through someone doing this?" Conan was pulling Hattori closer to him by the hair, intent on examining the dye job more closely. "I could see him getting you with something temporary, but this is really well don-" Conan cut himself off in surprise as he found himself snatched from the bench and bundled into Rupinasu's arms. Hattori yelped as the startled Conan tightened his hold on his hair and he was pulled forward.

"Hot Head-kun must be a very deep sleeper." Rupinasu chirped unnaturally. Conan let go of Hattori, who began rubbing his now sore scalp. He shifted uncomfortably in the disguised thief's arms. The grip was really too tight, even if he could technically still breathe.

"Rupinasu-neesan," He whined plaintively in his most little kid voice possible. "You're _hurting_ me." Rupinasu dropped him as if burned. Conan released a sharp 'ouch!' as he landed, but before the thief could kneel down beside him Hattori had whisked Conan away. Holding him up by the collar on the other side of him, Hattori effectively placed himself between his best friend and the weird thief who had stalked him there.

"What do ya think ya're doin'?" Hattori glared at him. Hattori had thought that the thief's antics were hilarious at first. He liked watching his best friend and rival squirm at least as much as the thief did. But at the camp fire, 'Rupinasu' had gotten just a bit _too_ affectionate. It had set off alarm bells for the great detective of the West, and he was suddenly a lot less comfortable with KID being so touchy with the detective, who for all appearances was a _child_ , even if it was just for a prank. He could tell the thief was suppressing a glower back.

"Nothing." The thief said as innocently as possible.

.^_O~

Great, the western detective was on to him. He hadn't seemed to care about him being Kaitou KID. Kaito's proximity to Conan was what was getting to Hattori. Kaito wasn't sure what to think about that… Hattori cared less about him being a criminal than he did about Conan's wellbeing… The thief would probably appreciate it if he weren't so irritated about Hattori getting in his way. Some part of Kaito's mind realized that it would be a better idea to get close to Hattori, to win him over. But that part of his mind was being overrun by the part that was angry that he lost the chance to share a blanket with Conan, the part that kept replaying Conan pulling Hattori's face towards his own. Which was _stupid_ because he knew perfectly well that Conan was both too young for that and Hattori had no romantic interest in him. Not even _Kaito_ wanted to kiss Conan until he was at least ten, alright maybe seven, years older.

Kaito glared at Hattori as Conan squirmed to be released. Hattori set him down. Conan walked around him and looked up at Kaito. Kaito did _not_ feel his heart skip a beat when he met Conan big blue eyes framed by black glasses. "Rupinasu-neesan," he smiled at him. "Could you do me a favor?"

 _Anything._ Kaito bit back his immediate response. "What?" He tried to inject suspicion in his tone.

"I need Lady-neesan's phone. Could you get it for me please?" Conan tilted his head and smiled. Though his request was far from innocent, he looked entirely guiltless. Kaito nodded without thinking. "Great! Meet us outside!" Conan beamed. He grabbed Hattori by the hand (Kaito was _not jealous_ ) and dragged him away.

"Oi! Wait for me ta eat!" Hattori protested. Kaito rolled his eyes, then he walked up to Lady, and made easy conversation with her while he lifted her phone. Now that he knew about her past, Lady's strange poker face made a lot more sense. She was trying to control her anger, but clearly her emotions were snapped taunt from dealing with her mother and sister under a pseudonym. She kept slipping, but Kaito couldn't blame her. It did worry him though. Conan ran into murders so often that Kaito had to wonder if his appearance was a sign that something was amiss. Lady might be planning her mother's murder after all.

Kaito slipped away when one of the other campers distracted Lady. He left the dining hall, and spotted Conan standing under a tree, Hattori was devouring a bagel beside him. "Did you get it?" Conan held out his hand. Kaito reached for the phone then hesitated. A smile crossed his face.

"I've got it." He looked down at Conan, still smiling. A resigned look passed over the boy's face.

"What do you want?" He dropped his hand.

"Nothing much." Kaito's smile widened, and he knelt beside him. "I want that bracelet you've been working on." Conan blinked. That clearly wasn't what he'd been expecting.

"That's it?" He asked. Kaito nodded. Conan started digging around in his pockets.

"Hime-chan helped me finish this morning." Conan muttered. "Ah! Here it is." Conan pulled it out of his pocket, tangled in a pen. He unwound it and held it out to him. Kaito eagerly reached for it.

"Hang on." Hattori plucked the blue and purple bracelet out from under Kaito's fingers. "This is a _friendship_ bracelet. You shouldn't be givin' it ta hi- her." Hattori glared down at Conan. "Ya wouldn't want to give Rupinasu here the wrong idea." Kaito's eyes narrowed at Hattori. Jerk.

"It's just a bunch of knotted thread, Hattori." Conan rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Just give it to her." Hattori frowned. Then handed it back to Conan. Conan shook his head at Hattori's antics, and turned to find Kaito holding out his arm, clearly expecting Conan to tie it around his wrist now that Hattori had interrupted. _I am surrounded by children._ Conan thought, and knotted the bracelet securely around the thief's wrist.

Kaito examined it with obvious delight and pressed the phone into Conan's hand. Conan immediately opened it. "Check the internet history." Hattori said, squatting beside him.

"I know how to investigate a phone, Hattori." Conan snapped. "Seems like she's got a lot of information on procedures and foster families here."

"Lotta articles on court cases too." Hattori noted. "Conan, are ya thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Probably." Conan nodded. He smiled. "Finally, someone who thinks things through." Hattori smiled too. It was good to have a case like this.

"What? What are you thinking?" Kaito looked up from his prize. "I'm not a detective! You have to tell me what you're thinking so I can be on the same page!"

"It's rather anticlimactic." Conan warned him. He glanced up from the phone.

"That just means it will be over faster, which I am totally okay with." Kaito insisted. He was rather worried about the time. He and Conan had to get back before the heist. _He_ had to get back in time to finish setting up a few of his tricks.

"Monday, Lady's father is going to file custody papers for Hime-chan." Conan said. Kaito blinked.

"Seriously?" He asked.

"Lady-chan's been collecting evidence against her mother ta get Hime-chan removed from her custody right away." Hattori added.

"She's just sticking around to make sure that their mother doesn't get a chance to hurt Hime-chan before the papers get through." Conan said, moving through the phone. "Most of the cases that Lady has been reading about include an element of DNA evidence so Hime-chan is probably the Dragon's ex-husband's daughter and she never told him."

"That really helps his case for custody." A voice said behind them. They turned. Lady stepped forward. "Dad and I didn't even know about my little sister. But I decided to look my mother up as part of my therapy a few months ago."

"And you found out about Hime-chan." Conan finished. Lady shrugged.

"Couldn't leave her there. So I got a job as a TA and started investigating ways to get her away from my mother." Lady sighed. "Thank god Dad is related to her, or I would have had to try to fight for custody myself. Even when abuse is involved, courts aren't exactly eager to let a 19 year old take responsibility for a kid." She held out her hand. "Can I have my phone back?" Conan sheepishly returned it to her. "I am a bit of a Kaitou KID fan, so I recognized Tantei-kun right away. It was easy to find information on Hot Head-kun once I got suspicious." She explained. Her eyes narrowed. "I hope that you don't intend to tell the courts what you know about me keeping Hime-chan away from our mother. It will look bad. I know that it was risky, especially with you two here… but…"

"We understand." Hattori assured her. "We know how ta keep certain deductions ta ourselves." Lady visibly relaxed.

"Thank you." She smiled at them. Conan started laughing. The three adults looked at him questioningly. "What is it?" Lady asked perplexed.

"Nothing, it's just…" Conan laughed a little harder. "I can't believe that this case isn't ending with a murder!" There was silence and then Hattori started laughing right along with him.

Lady looked at Kaito, a question clear on her face. He shrugged. "They run into a _lot_ of murders." Lady looked at the two chuckling detectives and back at Kaito.

"That's weird." She said. "Did you guys really think I was going to kill someone?"

"We've run into worse motives than you have." Conan chuckled.

" _Way_ worse." Hattori nodded. Lady sighed.

"Well, you can stay here, or you can go back. There's a Kaitou KID heist tonight, isn't there?"

"There sure is!" Kaito grinned.

"Or there will be if the idiot thief makes it back to the city in time." Conan muttered with an evil grin up at him. His hand twitched towards his belt. Kaito squeaked and vanished in a puff of smoke. He listened to Lady and the detectives from his hiding place.

"I'm sorry, was that-?"

"Kaitou KID? Yeah."

"I thought ya wanted ta keep playing along ta mess with him."

"I'd rather have him get ready for the heist. I get bored when he's stuck improvising."

"Alright, well, I'm a little bit confused, but if you guys need a ride to the city, I'm sure I could arrange something. But Tantei-kun, would you mind-?"

"Hanging out with Hime-chan until I leave? No problem."

O-O

Conan was impressed. Kaitou KID was at the top of his game. It actually made Conan wonder for a second if KID really _had_ been Rupinasu. How the heck had he set this up while he was with Conan and Hattori?! Conan correctly determined which Kaitou KID was the real one (something that had pleased the thief for some reason). Hattori figured out how the car disappeared, and now they were chasing the thief down in a chase that he _hadn't_ planned. Conan grinned. As much as he'd said he'd been bored by KID's improvisation, it was different in the heat of a chase.

Hattori yelped as he tripped a trap near his shoulder (Conan had sprinted right under it). It pinned him to the floor. Conan hesitated a moment before he continued after the thief. Finally, Conan chased him to a bridge and KID leaped onto the railing. Conan slowed.

"Well done, Tantei-kun!" KID congratulated the detective. "I didn't anticipate you discovering the secret behind the car." KID almost pouted but he couldn't really pull it off given how much he'd enjoyed the heist. "Now I'll have to liberate it from the police!"

"Credit where it's due. Hattori's the one who figured out the car trick." Conan admitted. "I thought you would have prepared for him better after observing him at the camp."

"Ah, yes, Tantei-han." KID muttered. He took hold of his chin with his forefinger and thumb. He was still stuck on the debate about whether he should continue to prank the detective or attempt to win him over. "How does he like the new hairstyle?"

"A lot more than he liked the new tattoo when Nakamori asked him about it." Conan snickered. "It will come off, right?"

"Oh, eventually… If he uses the right solution." KID chuckled. "I'll give you a hint, its in most kitchens." Conan couldn't decide whether to laugh or kick something at the thief. "By the way, I _love_ the bracelet." That made up his mind. He released the soccer ball.

KID fell backwards off the railing. Conan waited for the updraft to lift KID's hang glider high into the air and kicked the ball after him. He hit the right side of the hang glider sending him veering off course. Conan turned away without waiting to see where the thief went. He had a best friend to free from a trap.

(_)_  
.^_^

Hattori was still working his way out of the net that had somehow pinned him to the sidewalk when his phone chimed. It only took a little bit of struggling to pull the phone up to his eyes. It was a photo message from an unknown address. The photo was titled 'Peace offering' Hattori downloaded it, and practically cackled when he saw it was a photo of a soccer ball coming directly at the camera with the small figure of Conan, sparking shoes still following through on the kick, in the background. Hattori texted back.

'I hope he hit ya.' Seconds later he received a new text.

'Just for that I'm not telling you how to get those words off your neck. :P Hope you like the tattoo!'

Hattori scowled at the phone. He was having a similar quandary as Kaito had. Half of him wanted to bribe KID for the information with funny photos of Conan, and the other half wanted to try to send his phone a virus. He settled for a message 'Ya're weird.'

'That means I'm growing on you.' Kaitou KID texted. 'By the way, this address won't work anymore after this.' Of course, it wouldn't. Hattori let his head fall back, but then his phone started to ring. That was weird. It was an unknown number. Why would KID call him? He answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hot Head-kun? It's Lady. I found your number on my phone after you left." KID must have put it there when he stole her phone. Hattori rolled his eyes before her tone registered. It was controlled but with a bite and a desperate undertone, as if she were suppressing fear and anger. "I need your help. And Tantei-kun, if you can bring him."

"What's wrong?" Hattori asked, instantly entering his detective mode.

"The Dragon… my mother, was murdered." Her voice was strained. "Once they start investigating…" Lady let out a humorless laugh. "You said yourself that my motive is better than most."

Hattori took a deep breath. So much for a case without a murder. "We'll be there as soon as we can." He promised. He hung up the phone right as Conan walked up to him. "Guess what." He said dryly. Conan eyed him.

"Do I want to know?"

"Someone slayed the Dragon." Hattori struggled under the net. "Now get me out from under here so that we can find out who and save our favorite Lady."

* * *

 **No, I'm not going to finish the murder. Doc did it. Hime-chan was alone and her mother found her and got mad for some reason. She grabbed Hime-chan and was shaking her when Doc found them. He pushed the Dragon away from her daughter. The Dragon fell backwards (over her heels that are _not_ appropriate for a camp) and hit her head on a concrete porch. Doc was more worried about getting Hime-chan to the nurse than he was about checking on the Dragon, and she died about fifteen minutes later because she didn't get medical attention. Hime-chan confused the matter by trying to protect Doc since she thought everything was her fault (she lied about the timeline). With a good lawyer Doc will get off completely or be charged with involuntary manslaughter. **

**I wasn't sure I was going to kill the Dragon, but everyone hates her so... why not?**


	12. The Imposter's Invitation

**The Gathered Detectives (Chapter 299, Ep 219)**

 **Or as I like to call it... "Meet Hakuba Saguru"**

 **Once again, I'm assuming you've either read the chapter or seen the anime ep. Otherwise it won't make a whole lot of sense.**

 **oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Kaito was surprised that Hakuba Saguru was standing outside his house. He'd been called back to England and had not even come back for KID heists. Kaito tried not to take that personally. He _really_ did… When he failed he turned the Brit's shoes green.

"What are you doing here, Hakuba?" Kaito scowled at him. He had conflicting feelings about the blond detective. Some days he couldn't stand the man. Others he couldn't imagine how he didn't die of boredom before the detective was around to challenge (and annoy) him. All this meant was that Kaito was irritated at Hakuba, both for showing up and for staying away for such a long time, and he was fully aware of how confusing and contradicting that was.

"I received an unusual invitation the other day." Hakuba remarked. "I thought I'd get your opinion on it, since it came with a check that seemed impossibly large for the person who signed the invitation."

"What are you babbling about?" Kaito raised an eyebrow. Hakuba merely smiled his false gentleman's smile, and removed a black letter sealed in a plastic bag from his pocket and handed it to him.

Kaito's eyes narrowed. _The phantom of the child forsaken by God_ , an obviously cryptic riddle for his pseudonym, Kaitou KID. Kaito glanced up. "You're not going to this, are you?" He demanded.

"Why not?" Hakuba asked, a smarmy grin making itself at home on his face. "If it is from KID, which I doubt since a gem returning thief doesn't have two million yen to toss around," Kaito made a choking sound. _Two million yen?!_ Hakuba didn't try to hide his satisfied expression. "If it _is_ from KID, he's probably just setting me up for an unamusing joke." At this, there was a flicker of uncertainty on his rival's face. Good to know that he could still play with Hakuba's mind to the point that the detective wasn't even certain of his deductions. Kaito was torn between the desire to play on this and mess with him, and the urge to keep Hakuba away from this gathering. He was getting a bad feeling from the invitation…

"Why do you even want to go if you don't think KID sent it?" Kaito dropped the note in obvious disgust. Hakuba rescued the evidence with an air of resignation.

"If it's an imposter that's all the more reason to attend." Hakuba's smug grin grew. "Kaitou KID dislikes people using his name, so he will most likely be there. And I've heard rumors of this mansion. It seems to have a rather bloody history." Kaito's jaw tightened. "How could I resist such a mystery?" Kaito glowered at him. It was nice that he didn't have to hide his dislike. The Brit expected it from him.

"Well, it is a convention of dull detectives, so at least you'll fit right in." Kaito snarked. Then a rather mischievous smile flitted across his face. "Maybe you'll actually make some friends. For once." Hakuba rolled his eyes.

"BaKaito! If you want to pretend you aren't friends with Hakuba-kun that's one thing, but don't say he has no friends when Aoko is still around!" A familiar voice shrieked at him. A book bag flew with deadly accuracy through the place that Kaito had been standing.

"Who's pretending, Ahoko?!" Kaito barked, springing up from his summersault out of the way. "Since when am I friends with _him_?" Hakuba watched them bicker good-naturedly. He'd never admit to Kaito that he'd missed him too.

. _

.^_O~

"So, who else do you think will be at this Detective thing-y?" Kaito asked grumpily over his bowl of teriyaki. Aoko had, predictably, invited Hakuba to dinner. Her father was working late (not his fault for one, after all Division Two had more to worry about than just KID), so it was just the three of them. Kaito was sporting a new bandage on his nose where Aoko had scored a lucky hit.

"What detective thing?" Aoko asked with interest. Kaito and Hakuba exchanged a look and silently agreed not to say anything about KID to Aoko.

"I received an invitation to a gathering of detectives." Hakuba answered.

"That sounds fun! Aoko wants to come!" The girl exclaimed. Kaito shot Hakuba a glare that spelled imminent humiliation if he agreed. He didn't have to bother. Hakuba had as little interest in a Nakamori accompanying him on this particular excursion as Kaito did.

"I'm sorry, Aoko-kun. I don't think that's a good idea." Hakuba rejected her as only a gentleman can.

"Oh, alright." Aoko tried to mask her disappointment, her poker face sucked. But she brightened immediately. "Aoko will forgive you if you visit Aoko and Kaito before you go back to England."

"Hey! Leave me out of it!" Kaito spluttered.

"I would be honored to visit you again." Hakuba smiled softly at Aoko causing a vein to throb in Kaito's forehead. He and Aoko had a somewhat strange relationship. They had promised to get married if they didn't find their soul mates before they were thirty (it was a long story that involved a thirteen year old Aoko crying and a thirteen year old Kaito trying to comfort her). Kaito had found Conan and now he wanted nothing more than for Aoko to find her match. He wasn't quite sure how to tell her that the deal was off… That he'd _found_ his soul mate and he was willing to wait however long it took for them to be together. The dissolution of the deal didn't make Kaito any less protective. Kaito hated it when people other than Aoko's soul mate flirted with her.

Kaito made his feelings known by switching Hakuba's food with a bowl of brussel sprouts, including the bite in his chopsticks. Hakuba gave him a dry look and ate the brussel sprout anyway. Figured he'd be the kind of guy who didn't mind vegetables. "You didn't answer my question." Kaito stubbornly refused to look at Hakuba's bowl of vegetables. "Who else do you think will be there?" Kaito would need an excellent disguise if he were going to fool a room full of detectives; especially if they were anywhere near Hakuba's level. Hakuba would know who might be invited better than Kaito did. He would give Kaito a list of potential disguises. And if not appealed to him, he could always go as Hakuba himself. Kaito smirked inwardly.

"I have a few ideas." Hakuba stated. "I'm not sure why I should tell you though." Hakuba grinned. "It's not as if you have any stake in it." He was baiting him. Kaito retaliated with the addition of vinegar to the Brit's brussel sprouts. Hakuba practically choked on his next bite.

"Aoko wants to know too!" Aoko happily declared. Then she noticed the brussel sprouts. Before Kaito knew what was happening the brussel sprouts had been upended on his head and a new bowl of teriyaki was sitting in front of Hakuba.

"Well, if _you're_ interested Aoko." He smiled gratefully while Kaito spluttered. "Since I was invited it seems probably that Hattori Heiji and Kudo Shinichi were as well."

"I think I've heard of Kudo Shinichi." Aoko said thoughtfully.

"He was rather well known a while ago, but I don't know much about him." Hakuba admitted. "He's dropped out of the spotlight, on purpose I think, given how abruptly he vanished, so I doubt he will actually come." If Hakuba thought Kudo wouldn't show he probably wouldn't, so Kaito ignored Kudo Shinichi in favor of Hattori Heiji. Kaito had observed Hattori closely enough during that little excursion to camp to be able to masquerade as him if he wanted. But Kaito wasn't thrilled with the idea of messing with Conan's friend any further. He wanted Hattori on his side if at all possible, and knocking him out so he could walk around with his face was not the right way to do that.

"Aside from them, I think that Soda Ikumi-san will almost certainly be in attendance." Hakuba started eating his new bowl of teriyaki before Kaito could do anything to it. "I look forward to meeting her. She was a doctor before she became a detective."

"Oh, like Watson?" Aoko asked. Hakuba laughed.

"I rather doubt she would appreciate the comparison, Aoko-kun." Hakuba informed her. "I find her more reminiscent of the literary British detective, Dr. John Thorndyke. The author actually did the experiments his detective uses to make sure they worked. I could lend you a novel, if you like?" Hakuba added hopefully.

Aoko stiffened. "T- that's alright, Hakuba-kun." She smiled nervously, not wanting to offend the mystery fan, but even less eager to get caught up in a long-winded discussion about the book that would only lead to more recommendations. Hakuba sighed.

"Very well." He turned his mind back to the potential guest list. "I expect that Senma Furuyo-san will be invited, but as she is known for solving cases without being disturbed from her armchair I'm not sure if she will come or not." Was Hakuba only talking about women on purpose to get back at him? It wasn't as if Kaito shied away from female disguises. "The only other person I'm almost certain will attend is Mouri Kogoro-san." Kaito choked on his drink and almost immediately started hacking up a lung. Of course Conan's puppet would be invited. Why was Kaito even surprised?

"Kaito!" Aoko snapped, glaring at her food. Kaito had sprayed soda all over it.

"It went down the wrong way, Ahoko!" Kaito snapped his fingers as an apology and her bowl was instantly replaced with a fresh one. Hakuba continued eating, grateful that his food had been spared from the soda deluge.

"Really…" Aoko huffed in irritation, but picked up her chopsticks. "You'd better have something to wipe this mess up." Kaito pulled a handkerchief from nowhere and dried off the table. The three of them sat like that, in a companionable silence, until Kaito got bored and turned his dinner into a slice of chocolate cake and both Aoko and Hakuba started lecturing him about proper nutrition.

_|_|_  
.^_O~

Kaito decided not to use Hakuba as his disguise to the detective gathering. If anything happened Kaito wanted to be sure there was someone he could count on to protect Conan. He didn't know what would happen at this impersonation but it probably was nothing good. Kaito didn't trust Hakuba to not arrest him as Kaitou KID, but he was loathed to admit that if this was a dangerous situation, he wanted him there to help him look after Conan. Kaito tried not to think about the fact that he trusted the British detective to protect his soul mate. Kaito decided to leave Hattori alone for the same reason. If the Osakan detective was there he would be in the best position to stand by Conan.

That left the three other detectives Hakuba had mentioned as possible disguises. He took possible interactions with Conan into account while he debated his options. Kaito thought that he had gotten much too close at during the whole incident at the summer camp. Without any filters, he just couldn't help himself. Whoever he disguised himself as would be his defense against his impulses towards Conan (which were _not_ perverse, just a bit too affectionate… and he was still trying to keep his distance until the boy was older). Eventually he decided that, despite the obvious danger, Mouri Kogoro himself was his best choice. Kogoro was rather put off by Conan creating the barrier Kaito had to admit he needed, but if anything happened no one would question his concern for Conan as the boy's guardian.

Kaito set about arranging a trap for Mouri Kogoro. He took the place of the rental car attendant, he removed the spare tire and gave Mouri some directions to ensure that he would pass the gas station that Kaito scouted the day before. Kaito also caught a glimpse of Conan peeking out of the back seat window. He gave the boy a friendly smile, only to be soundly rejected when the little detective ducked down, feigning shyness. Kaito used a motorcycle to reach the gas station where he put down some debris that would puncture a tire so that they would be forced to go inside. Kaito was glad when Mouri entered the station alone to purchase the tire. It gave him time to work on his disguise, which had to be perfect if it was going to fool Conan. Kaito took a deep breath and schooled his surface thoughts to those of Kogoro's. Mouri Kogoro was his new poker face, and it would have to be a strong one to prevent his natural fondness for Conan at bay. Kaito opened his eyes, and grimaced at the amount he had to pay for a map. "Freaking mechanic, making me buy a map." He muttered in Kogoro's voice.

Kaito went to the car to change the tire. Then he, Ran, and Conan set off towards the Sunset Manor, using a short cut that he'd found the previous day (one that he now realized was a lot easier to navigate on a bike than in a car). His poker face was holding beautifully. He hadn't broken character once.

They finally reached the end of Kaito's bumpy shortcut. Conan leaned in behind him. _Poker face. I am Mouri Kogoro!_ "Isn't that it? Sunset Manor?" Kaito turned his attention to the mansion standing dark and tall on the mountain like something out of a gothic novel. He wasn't totally expecting Ran's concern over monsters. Wasn't she a karate champion? She could probably break a tengu's nose and knock out a vampire's teeth.

"There's no way Dracula's in Japan." Mouri Kogoro grumpily assured her. "The most we will probably see is a mountain- _hag!_ " Kaito/Kogoro yelped at that last word, when his headlights illuminated a figure that really _did_ look like a mountain hag in the dark rain. Kaito slammed on the brakes. _Senma Furuyo-san_ , Kaito immediately recognized her. She'd been the first he'd discounted as a potential disguise. Too short. "My car has broken down, I've been waiting for someone to pass by. Are you going to the manor? Would you be so kind as to give me a lift?"

"Um, sure, you can get in the back." Kaito answered. Conan scooted to one side to make room for the old woman.

Senma-san almost immediately proved her prowess at deduction when she asked Ran why she hadn't gone to the bathroom when they stopped at the gas station. "How did you know we stopped?" Conan asked genuinely curious. Senma-san then explained how she knew that they had stopped at the gas station. Conan stared at her, impressed, at which point she introduced herself. Ran recognized her name as the illustrious armchair detective, and Conan's impressed stare persisted. Then Senma leaned forward and confiscated Kogoro's ashtray. Kaito couldn't complain much, though "Kogoro" did attempt to protest, when she removed the ashtray. Kaito was actually glad to have a reason not to smoke. He hated it. (And he didn't want to contribute to Conan's already extensive exposure to second-hand smoking.)

When Kaito pulled up to park along side the other cars, he couldn't help but think that he was in the wrong line of work. The pathetically plain rental car stood out among the classics that the other detectives had arrived in. How had a bunch of detectives afforded cars that could rival the one his father had stashed in his hideout? Kaito's attention was instantly grabbed by an Alfa Romeo while Ran darted toward the house, intent on finding a restroom.

"Hands off!" Someone snapped. Kaito looked around. A man Kaito didn't recognize was standing there (which meant that Hakuba hadn't mentioned him to Kaito). "I saved for five years for this beauty. I don't want another man's dirty hands touching her!" Senma-san recognized him.

"Mogi Harufumi, what are you doing here?" The old woman smiled. "I thought you were still recovering. Weren't you shot last week in Chicago?" Mogi-san laughed and brushed off her concern as easily as he brushed off her chiding about his inability to settle down. She spoke to him like he was a favorite nephew. They continued after Ran, to the now open door. With three detectives there Kaito couldn't even take a moment to steady himself before facing his next challenge.

But really, after fooling Tantei-kun, Hakuba shouldn't be that hard, right?


	13. The Bloody Manor

**Once again, assuming you've read the chapter. If you haven't... Well, you might want to review it. It starts at chapter 299.**

 **Kaito might be a touch overly affected in this chapter. He'll get better. He just wasn't expecting all of this when he went there and he's processing. He'll be better once he has something to do.**

 **oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Hakuba Saguru made sure to arrive at the mansion early. He sent Baaya away. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew he'd need the back up in place. Saguru was greeted by the maid, and shown a room. Watson was restless. She could sense the blood in the air, after some thought Saguru decided to bring her while he did a thorough walk through of the mansion. He didn't like the idea of walking through the almost empty manor alone and Watson was better company than most people.

Whatever happened here had been bloody. Most of the stains had faded, without any attempt to clean them, so Saguru estimated the crime had occurred some decades ago, which lined up with what he'd heard. There had been rumors about this manor Saguru had heard whispered by the officers that worked for his father. One of them had even told him the entire story one night while he was waiting for his father the way people told scary stories around a campfire. Apparently there had been a massacre. People had lost their minds and began to kill each other. Saguru had assumed that the officer was exaggerating (he said that his former partner had heard it from his mentor) but seeing the evidence, he couldn't deny that the place had clearly been home to some large-scale tragedy.

Saguru was beginning to regret luring Kuroba here. If whatever was planned for tonight was related, it could get bloody. He didn't like the idea of the non-violent thief being exposed to whatever was going to happen. Saguru himself had been irreparably scarred by the violence he was exposed to in his work. He disliked the thought of bringing another down with him. How was someone going to involved Kaitou KID in this? _Why_ was someone trying to involve KID in this, whatever it was?

Despite their rivalry, Saguru disliked people using Kaitou KID's name almost as much as the thief did. They provided false data and got the thief involved in even more dangerous activities than he usually indulged in. It annoyed Saguru to no end, and in all honesty, Saguru would rather deal with a prank happy Kuroba than a Kaitou KID impersonator.

Watson flew towards him and settled on his shoulder. She wasn't really supposed to do that (her talons could be quite painful if she was startled into flight) but her familiar weight was a comfort and left his hands free, so Saguru didn't really have the inclination to break her of the habit. He reached up and stroked her feathers calming her and himself. Watson was his lifeline. He'd brought her in case they were cut off, as he was almost certain they would be. Her presence was a tangible comfort as well as an emotional one. A way to contact Baaya, should anything go wrong.

Saguru moved to another room and his eyebrows rose as he inspected a now damp stain that hadn't been there before. He inspected it. Luminol, it seemed that the renown doctor turned detective, Soda-san, had arrived. Saguru moved toward the entrance, if the others were already coming it was time to meet them. He had actually been looking forward to meeting them before he'd lost himself in his concerns. Saguru never got to talk about crime scenes or murders without people looking at him like he was some kind of nutcase. If nothing else, the conversation would be engaging.

And of course there was the challenge of discovering KID. KID had probably disguised as one of the detectives that he had listed when Kuroba asked him who he thought would be there. Saguru wasn't a fool. He'd known precisely what the other teen had been doing. There _was_ a chance that Kaito would attempt to disguise as someone else just to throw Saguru off, but he thought it was unlikely.

Watson took off, circling the room as Saguru approached the stairs down to the other detectives. There were two people that he hadn't anticipated: Ogami Shukuzen, a detective who doubled as a food critic, Saguru had never been terribly impressed with him, he'd always seemed more interested in money than mystery and Saguru thought he had questionable ethics at best; and Mogi Harufumi, the hard as nails detective that Saguru had thought was in America. He was right, Soda-san was the one using the luminol. Soda-san blinked as Watson landed beside her. "I'm sorry, did she startle you?" Saguru walked down the steps and raised his hand, calling Watson to him. "Regardless, it was well worth returning from England to accept this invitation." He smiled smugly. "The chance to investigate the bloody tragedy that occurred here was more than enough to arouse my detective's curiosity." Hakuba's eyes swept the detectives and he held back a frown. What was a child doing here?

"Tragedy?" The girl beside the child asked, staring at Saguru with worried eyes. Saguru shook himself.

"Yes, though it's certainly not the _main_ reason I am here." He lifted his bird. "Right, Watson?" The child gave him a deadpan expression. He looked familiar…

"I'll just show the new arrivals to their rooms." The maid interrupted. She led the detectives up the stairs. Saguru walked with them.

"Hakuba Saguru, by the way." He introduced himself. He was about to go on, giving his usual profile, when the child interrupted him.

"The superintendent general's son?" The boy asked. Saguru looked down.

"That's right." He answered, though he wondered what kind of child knew something like that. Saguru knelt, careful not to jostle Watson, so that he could look the boy in the eye. "And who might you be?" The boy smirked.

"Edogawa Conan, detective."

"Oh?" Saguru tilted his head. Now he knew where he'd seen the child. He prevented Kaitou KID from stealing the Black Star from the Suzuki family. "I wanted to meet you." He held out his hand. Conan blinked, then shook it. "It's a pleasure." It wasn't often that someone introduced themselves to Conan as if he was an equal.

"Likewise." He responded solemnly. Saguru smiled and stood up.

"It would seem the others left us behind." He commented.

"Yeah." Conan glanced around. "Mogi-san and Soda-san were talking about going to the recreation room after Mogi-san dropped off this bag."

"I saw it earlier while I was looking around." Saguru began moving towards it.

"I didn't know that there was another high school detective in Japan." Conan said, falling into step behind him.

"I tend to divide my time between England and Japan." He replied. "I'm better known over there because my father doesn't like my name in the media anymore." Saguru shrugged. "He used to be fine with it but he decided that I was getting an ego. So he used his influence to keep Japanese papers from using my name." Saguru huffed and shook his head. "Regardless, most of the recent articles about me are in English, so I'm called Samuel Sanders." Conan stopped. Saguru took a few steps before he realized and turned around.

" _You're_ Samuel Sanders?" Conan asked in astonishment. Saguru raised an eyebrow.

"You've heard of me after all?" He asked amused.

"Of course! You're m- Shinichi-niichan's biggest competition for the title 'Holmes', in the media at least." Conan grinned at him. "It's great to meet you! I've been following your work since the case with the bracelet and the Cornish hen!" Saguru blinked.

"That… was a pretty small case." He commented. Saguru had solved murders involving businessmen and politicians. Yet a small case about a missing pet that had been reported more for PR fluff than anything else was what he'd admired?

"Yes, but sometimes the biggest cases are the most boring and the smallest are the most interesting." Conan pointed out. "You only have to look at the Holmes canon to know that."

"True, Holmes himself commented on that in the Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle." Saguru commented, he gazed at Conan with renewed interest. "You've read Sherlock Holmes?"

"Every story about a hundred times!" Conan rolled his eyes. "I even read them in English."

" _Really?_ " Saguru asked excitedly. Before either of them realized what was happening their conversation degenerated into a rapid discussion of their idol. One that carried on through out their roundabout walk to Hakuba's room to drop off Watson and the recreation room (Saguru might admit that he took them the long way around on purpose to prolong their conversation, but only to himself) where they were interrupted by Ran, who had been worried when she and Conan were separated.

.^_O~

Kaito glanced up as Hakuba and Conan walked in. He blinked. He didn't think he'd ever seen the detective that happy talking to someone. For that matter, he didn't think he'd ever seen Hakuba make friends that fast. The Brit seemed almost disappointed when Conan was pulled away by Ran. "Mouri" was playing a game of chess with Senma-san. It required less than a quarter of Kaito's attention to replicated Mouri's poor playing, leaving him free to observe the surrounding detectives.

Hakuba quickly pulled into a game of pool by Mogi-san, while Ran, Soda-san, and Conan started playing poker. Kaito really wished that he weren't playing chess. Poker was _his_ game. He wanted to play poker with Conan! Though… maybe it was lucky he wasn't. He doubted that he'd be able to resist cheating and Conan would almost certainly catch it. Hakuba was astonishingly good at billiards. Maybe he should invite- Maybe _Aoko_ could invite Hakuba to the Blue Parrot some time.

Kaito's eye was drawn to Ran who had just won her fourth hand of poker in a row. She was astonishingly lucky. Kaito had to wonder if she could give _his_ luck a run for its money. Conan was looking at Ran with a combination of resignation and suspicion. Kaito got the feeling this might happen a lot. He turned back to the chessboard.

Suddenly Ran screamed. Kaito whipped around. "Ran! What's wrong?" Kaito instantly spotted the blood stained cards that had fallen from her hands.

"So blood flew over here too." Senma-san inspected the cards, completely unfazed.

"I heard from the maid that nothing's been touched since that incident." Mogi added, as if it was something that happened everyday. Ran was the only one acting like a rational human being.

"So whatever it was happened in _this_ room too?" She asked with a wavering voice. She wasn't panicked, but Kaito thought that a certain amount of unease was perfectly understandable right now. He was feeling a bit sick himself. Just how much blood had there been to cover the front hall, recreation room, and who knows how many other rooms in it? How many people had died that night? If someone weren't using his name Kaito would have grabbed Conan (right in front of Hakuba) and run off with the detective and Ran chasing him. He wanted to lead them away from the manor, but he had a responsibility to remain. Someone had lured the detectives here with his name and he had to make sure everyone got out alright.

Kaito and Ran jumped in surprise when the maid walked it. "Dinner is ready, the master awaits you in the dining room." Kaito took a deep breath, and only realized that Ran had been hugging him when she let go so they could follow the rest of the detectives to the dining room.

"Finally time to meet the big boss." Mogi-san grinned taking the lead.

"Isn't this fun?" Senma-san asked cheerfully, completely derailing Kaito's previous assumptions about nice old ladies who solved mysteries from their armchairs. Kaito decided that the best way to calm himself down was to look at Conan. And it worked, sorta, because Conan was staring at Ran… again… And Kaito was instantly torn between jealousy and the combination of sympathy and companionship he was feeling for the only other person who seemed to be affected by the horror of what had transpired here.

"I'm not hungry." Ran murmured, looking vaguely sick. Kaito sighed. Neither was he… Hakuba looked back at them. He also seemed unruffled by the atmosphere, though he appeared to be at least concerned about Ran. Kaito frowned suddenly, and his eyes moved between Hakuba and Conan. Why weren't they bothered by this? Ran had been exposed to a lot of unpleasant murder scenes and even she was feeling ill. Kaito felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach every time he saw another discolored spot on the walls that might be a bloodstain. Were they just not thinking about what the blood meant? Or had they just been exposed to so much violence that they weren't as strongly affected anymore? Kaito's stomach twisted at that. To his surprise, it wasn't just Conan that he was concerned for but also Hakuba.

Conan's indifference he could somewhat explain away by his age, maybe he was young enough to not completely understand the gravity of what happened here (even if he saw murders, massacres were so much harder to comprehend). Hakuba, though… It could just be because it was the first time Kaito had ever seen him in this violent a setting before. Now he suddenly wondered just how many cases the detective had been involved in to become so famous (even if he hadn't been in the news recently). It unsettled Kaito. He didn't like the idea of Hakuba at that many murders. For once he was glad that Hakuba chased him if it kept him away from horrors like this.

Kaito was jolted from his thoughts when they arrived in the dining room. The table was set, and at the end was an eerily still figure in a bizarre outfit. A pointed hood with slits for eyes surveyed them. Name cards were arranged before the each setting at the table.

The ominous figure spoke. "Six of the world's most magnificent detectives, welcome to Sunset Manor. Please have a seat." The detectives found the seats they'd been assigned to and took them warily. Kaito and Conan were seated on opposite sides of Ran, something that would have bothered Kaito, but it meant that Conan was the farthest from the creep who'd brought them there and Kaito was in front of both of them. It was the best position to protect them in. "I have invited all of you here to see if you can deduce where in this house I have hidden my treasure." Their host continued in his distorted voice. "The entire enormous fortune I've gathered over the years." Kaito noticed Hakuba raise an eyebrow at that. "Oh, and your _lives_ are at stake."

"Our lives?" Kaito blurted out. That was when the cars exploded.

"What was that sound?!" Ogami-san demanded.

"Don't be alarmed, I've just rid you of your means of escape." The man stated coolly.

"You blew up our _cars_?" Kaito thought that was a perfectly valid reason to be alarmed.

"I'm always being chased by cops and detectives, I thought I'd chase _you_ for a change." The mysterious figure went on to explain that he'd also destroyed the bridge and that they were cut off from communication as they were out of cellular range and there was no landline in the house. "This is a game. The winner will receive half the treasure and the means to leave this house." An enraged Mogi ripped the hood from the man's face (Kaito was surprised that he'd lasted so long after the man had destroyed his precious Alfa Romeo) and revealed a mannequin with a speaker embedded in the face. The detectives seemed frustrated. So… Kaito gave them a chance to do something that every detective loved to do.

"Whoa, who could be behind all this?" 'Mouri Kogoro' demanded.

"I'm surprised a man like you would come here without knowing." Soda-san said, smug looks passed around the room. "It was on the invitation." One by one, the detectives went through clues in the riddle, explaining a part of their deduction, until they landed on Hakuba.

"The only person who's ever gotten the better of me." He spoke with a grin that Kaito found entirely too conceited for a man who was admitting to being bested. "Kaitou KID."

 **ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

 **This is looking like a four parter... Usually these manga style ones are easy but I keep feeling like I have to add more details... And this particular arc is kinda difficult. I keep seeing plot holes/character issues in it with the way the culprit handles everything! It's driving me nuts! (One example is that one of the culprits is doing it for the money, but sends a check for 2 million yen to each detective?! Why are you even doing this if you've got that much money to throw around?!)**

 **Oh! And if you look at the panel where Ran is saying "I'm not hungry." (Chapter 299 page 14) It looks like Hakuba is looking at Kaito/Mouri, Kaito is looking at Conan, and Conan is looking at Ran. I just thought it was funny because it looks like Hakuba and Kaito are being all subtle about it and Conan's just looking at them. (Really I think all three of them are looking at Ran because she's just having a really bad day with this whole massacre thing.)**


	14. Dear friends you never want to meet

"But why would he invite us here?" Ran asked, staring at her 'father'. Kaito was gratified to see that she no longer looked afraid. Good, she didn't seem him as a threat. Still, Kaito had to wonder how many of the detectives had been taken in by the false invitation.

"Are you saying Kaitou KID invited us to this banquet?" Kaito asked the table at large.

"Precisely," Ogami fingered his mustache. "I imagine he wants to test his wits against our detective skills. At stake are all of the treasures he's stolen… and our lives." Kaito resisted openly glaring at the heavyset detective, because, seriously, what kind of poorly thought out deduction was that? Kaitou KID _returned_ his treasures and was decidedly nonviolent. Kaito wondered how _this_ detective had made the cut.

"He's probably watching us right now." Soda added. "I noticed this house is teeming with hidden cameras." Kaito made a show of looking around while inwardly applauding the woman. Some of the cameras were obvious, but she had clearly noticed the subtle ones as well. The maid walked in and began serving the dinner prepared by the second rate gourmet detective.

"Miss, were you told to place the food on the table in a certain order?" Senma asked, inspecting her dish. Clever old biddy.

"I was told to work clockwise by Hakuba-sama." The maid answered. Kaito suppressed an eye roll. Of course that time obsessed detective would tell her that.

"You can't suspect poison." Ogami laughed. "I cooked the food myself!"

"But the utensils and dishware were all on the table when we arrived." Hakuba pointed out. "And our host chose the seating arrangements. Murder isn't his style," _Thank you, Detective Obvious!_ Kaito thought sourly. What was the world coming to when he was depending on Hakuba to defend his honor. "But he might have a _highly unamusing_ prank planned for one of us." The tone sounded accusing to Kaito's guilty ears because… that was exactly something he would do. "We should clean everything before we eat."

"And change seats." Mogi added. "I don't like the way this stooge runs things."

"But what if someone gets the seat with the poison?" Kaito demanded.

"Then we'll cry at their grave." Mogi answered shortly. Kaito glared at him. They drew lots to see who sat where. Ran's luck was good there too. She ended up next to Conan. But Kaito's luck wasn't bad either, since he was directly across from his soul mate, and got to watch him eat. It was only mildly adorable. He kept stealing a bite of Ran's food when each dish was brought out before she got a chance to taste it. Kaito was sure that there was a joke about him being a thief in there, but he was too distracted to think of it. Conan got a bit of sauce around his mouth; Ran wiped it off his face like a good, motherly sister. Kaito didn't have to energy to be jealous of her, and it was good to see her acting normally after that shock in the game room. Especially since her normal was looking after Conan. It couldn't hurt to have another pair of eyes on him.

Kaito happily took another bite of dessert. He had to admit that for a third rate detective Ogami was a first rate chef. The food was fantastic. Sure, he'd been nervous when they started. But nothing had happened so far. "Perhaps I was too suspicious." Senma murmured, echoing his thoughts.

"No, we can't let our guard down." Hakuba cautioned. Kaito didn't know whether to be annoyed that the British detective was bringing down the mood, or glad that he was vigilant.

"How is everyone?" The mannequin began causing Kaito to pause, fork halfway to his mouth. "Did you enjoy the last supper I prepared for you?" _You mean that Ogami prepared._ Kaito mentally rolled his eyes. "I think it's time to tell you why I chose this place for our game." Their host went on to detail the events of forty years ago. An absurdly wealthy man had died and a bunch of greedy people showed up to buy his stuff in an auction. They were cut off because of a storm, then two random travelers showed up and gave them marijuana in exchange for letting them stay. The guests smoked it and started killing each other… Wow, that sounded like a really terrible horror film; the type that wouldn't even scare Aoko. Kaito had no doubt that someone important was involved, hence the cover-up and the creation of this absurd urban legend. "The two travelers disappeared with the art leaving eight dead and dozens unconscious." Seriously? The story took place during a storm! Did the storyteller have any idea how hard it was to transport art in rainy weather without damaging it? "Do you understand why I chose this manor?" The host finished. "I want you detectives to reenact that tragedy. To fight and kill over the treasure of this house." Kaito felt a chill run over him. "I'll even give you a clue." Kaito listened intently. "On the night the two travelers looked up at the sky, a demon appeared in the castle, the King ran wild with his treasure in hand, the Queen wept for forgiveness into a chalice, and the Knight ran himself through with his own sword." Great. If memory served in the first story there had been a man who took his auction winnings and raced around the manor, a woman who couldn't stop crying, and a man who gouged at his wrist with a pen. That was useless.

"You can't force us to play." Soda stated coldly. "We won't just kill people because you tell us to."

"You're already under my spell." The mechanical voice countered. "The one who finds the answer is to type it into the computer in the tower room. They will receive half the treasure and a way to return."

Mogi made a strangled sound. Kaito almost had a heart attack when he stood abruptly, clutching at his throat. "Just kidding." He winked. Kaito glared at him. What kind of jerk faked a poisoning? "I've got no interest in this. I'll be leaving now." The hardboiled detective turned to go.

"What? How?" Ran blinked at him.

"This isn't an island. It might take all night, but I can just hike down the mountain." He responded cheekily. Then Ogami leaped to his feet beside Kaito with a gurgled gasp clutching at the table before him. He screamed abruptly and fell to the floor at Kaito's feet. "Joke's only funny the first time." Mogi stated drily crouching beside the fallen detective. Hakuba moved faster than the rest of them, inspecting the man, feeling for a pulse. Kaito's heart dropped as he took out his characteristic watch.

"22:34 and 51 seconds, cardio-respiratory arrest confirmed. There is no chance of resuscitation." He murmured. Kaito stared down at the body as it was surrounded by detectives. Soda began a preliminary medical exam. _Damn,_ Kaito clenched his fists. He had to maintain his illusion as a detective.

"It was cyanide." Soda said definitely.

"So it was in the tea?" Mogi looked up.

"There's no reaction from the tea." Senma stated, testing the tea with a coin.

"So how was he poisoned?!" Kaito demanded.

"The die has been thrown, do your best to find the treasure so that Ogami-san's death won't be in vain. His death really started this game with a bang." The mechanical voice finished.

"That's not funny!" Mogi finally snapped, grabbing the mannequin. On some level, Kaito was glad to see one of the other detectives have such an emotional reaction. The head fell off, and revealed… A cassette tape. Kaito swallowed the entire thing was prerecorded.

* * *

The murderer knew who was going to die, despite all of their precautions. Kaito's heart hardened with anger. The murderer had used Kaitou KID's name to lure Ogami here and kill him. Kaito wouldn't allow any other people to die. Not on his watch. And not when Conan and Hakuba were potential victims.

"Now we know two things." Conan spoke with his eerily confident maturity, drawing the eyes of the older detectives. "One, the murderer planned to murder Ogami-san, and two," he paused dramatically. "The killer could be among us."

"You think the killer's one of us?" Mouri demanded.

"Any one of us could have set the tape recorder before hand and listened with use while we ate dinner." Conan pointed out in a more childish voice. Saguru knelt down, he'd already come to recognize that Conan was a skilled detective in his own right. So he offered his support.

"And the killer was able to poison him with all of us here, without being able to notice anything." Saguru reminded them.

"In front of five detectives." Mogi muttered.

"Going by the recording the killer knew exactly what time Ogami-san was going to die." Senma added. Saguru observed the others closely. They were still trying to figure out how he was poisoned. It wasn't the tea. So what was it?

Ran spoke, she wasn't a detective, but she wasn't a fool. "The killer you're talking about… It's Kaitou KID, isn't it? He doesn't kill!"

"As far as I know this would be the first case." Saguru responded. Not that Kuroba would ever do something like this, but he couldn't exactly let on about that. He didn't think anyone noticed him tug at the skin around the dead detective's neck when he was checking Ogami's pulse. The relief he'd felt on discovering it wasn't a mask was palpable. Thank god he hadn't listed Ogami when Kuroba had asked him who he thought would be there.

The other detectives decided to check on the cars. Saguru noticed Conan inspecting Ogami's hand. He looked over his shoulder. The thumbnail was ragged, like he had a habit of chewing it. Interesting. That was a possibility.

After a brief investigation they learned that only the maid's car parked in the back was spared from the explosion. Obviously it was a trap. But what kind of trap, Saguru was uncertain. Everyone was eager to use the car to investigate the bridge and see if it was still standing. Saguru was almost certain it wasn't but volunteered to go with them. Kuroba would want to investigate his escape routes.

Conan showed his 'childish' cleverness again, by suggesting they select who went in the car with the toss of a coin. Saguru was sure that Conan and the other detectives noticed the clue that the true culprit gave them when they selected the coins, now was only the question of what to do about it. The coins flipped through the air, and Mouri, Mogi, and Senma got heads and prepared to set out. Saguru had no doubt that either Mouri or Mogi was Kaitou KID. "Oi, detective prat." Mouri pulled Saguru aside. "I know you've been in England this entire time, so you're probably not behind it. Keep an eye on the brat and Ran for me. If something happens I'll be holding you personally responsible." Saguru raised an eyebrow as Mouri clapped him on the shoulder and got in the car.

"Be careful, Dad!" Ran called after the car. Saguru glanced down at Conan. He had noticed Bayaa's car below them. Saguru turned to the other detectives. As Ran went back inside.

"Well, clearly you all know who the culprit is." He stated easily.

"Knowing that Senma-san is the killer doesn't get us home any faster." Soda commented. Saguru opened his mouth.

"I have an idea for that." Conan cut him off. Saguru regarded him thoughtfully. Curious about what he was going to say. "What do you say we play Senma-san's game?" Conan suggested, a glare on his glasses making the boy look ominous. Soda raised an interested eyebrow.

"I'm listening." She said. Conan explained his plan.

"She's sure to tell me how to escape since I'm just a kid." He finished with a grin. "Especially if I'm the last one left."

"I don't think it will work." Saguru said, doubtfully. "Somehow I don't think that Senma actually _has_ a way out."

Conan shrugged. "It's worth a try, isn't it?" Conan looked at Saguru appraisingly. Saguru considered the options.

"I'll go along with it. But I do see one more problem." Saguru consented. "How do you intend to tell Mogi-san and Mouri-san about this plan?"

"I slipped one of these into the old man's pockets." Conan held up one of the _coolest-_ um, nicest pins Saguru had ever seen, with a profile of Sherlock Holmes. "It's a detective badge that Agasa-hakase made me and my friends. It's also a walkie-talkie. Once I'm sure Senma-san has separated from them, I'll contact the old man."

"But we will need to know the answer to the riddle before we can carry this out. Or be able to fake an answer." Soda pointed out calmly. "Do we really have time to work out where the treasure is and tell the boy before Senma gets here?"

"Oh, I've already deduced it." Saguru stated smugly. Soda blinked at him. And Conan stared up in surprise. "I did some investigating before you and the others arrived. And found the riddle we were told at supper and a few other indications." Saguru explained. "Though I still think it's rather unlikely for _marijuana_ of all drugs to induce that kind of hysteria. It does seem the story was at least partially true." Saguru went on to explain his deduction.

"It makes sense." Conan nodded impressed. "I'd expect nothing less from the great Samuel Sanders." Saguru tried not to be overly pleased by Conan's compliment. What did it say about him that he felt so validated by a _seven year old_ 's opinion. Conan turned to Soda. "We'll have to set it up so that we look like we are going through the motions of investigating. So I have enough clues for the 'reveal'."

"Very well." Soda agreed. "I'll start gathering supplies for our ruse. With any luck, we'll be out of here by morning." She went into the manor. Conan glanced up at Saguru.

"Thanks for going along with it." He said, a bit mature.

"Going along with what?" Saguru's smile belied his innocent words. Conan rolled his eyes.

"Why would you bring a hawk?" He said obviously. "I can only think of one reason for the hawk and that car down there." Conan grinned. "You brought a way out. A way to signal someone that we need help by sending them a message with Watson."

"I suspected that we would need a contingency plan." Saguru nodded. "I don't mind hiding it from the others." Saguru smirked. "It's not as if you are the only one who wants a little more time cornering KID." Conan smirked right back at him. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you about your first encounter with KID." Saguru began walking Conan back to the house. Conan laughed.

"It was a lot of fun." There was a little bounce in his step. "KID gave the police his entire plan. I thought I was the only one who figured it out but Nakamori-keibu rushed in at the last second, so he must have solved the riddle too. I think he's probably smarter than we give him credit for." Conan shrugged. "Anyway, I went up to the roof and walked over to make sure that the helicopters around the building with the Black Star Pearl were still there."

"Why?" Saguru asked in curiosity.

"They were part of my plan." Conan explained. "See, I knew he would underestimate me. Everybody does. So I decided to play on that." Saguru understood and sympathized with the young boy's plight. But more than anything, he respected the child's ability to use his handicap (his age) to his advantage. "I turned around, and he was just there." Conan explained. "It was surprising, because I'm really good at telling when people sneak up on me." Conan frowned. "He walked over and asked me what I was doing. So I lit a firework to attract the attention of the helicopters." Saguru felt like he'd just been punched in the stomach. Of _all_ of the things that he had been expecting the boy to say, it wasn't _that_.

One of the things that Saguru had uncovered in his research was Kuroba Kaito's soul mark. It had been purely accidental. Aoko had offered to show him photos from when they were kids and it had been clearly written on Kaito's collarbone in a picture of eight-year old Kaito and Aoko having a water balloon fight at a local pool (one they had been quite reasonably banned from due to property damage). If hidden, as Kaito did almost obsessively, a soul mark was one of the most personal things you could know about a person, and Saguru wasn't very comfortable with the knowledge. At that very moment, Saguru truly wished that he'd never learned the first word that Kuroba Kaito's soul mate would say to him. He didn't know what would be worse, gaining the confirmation of Kaitou KID's identity through his soul mate or Kuroba (who Saguru _knew_ was hopeless romantic at heart) having a soul mate who was _seven_. Saguru didn't want to know. He _didn't_ want to know. But he had to ask. "And what did you say?" He choked, following the boy mechanically.

"I said 'fireworks'." Conan answered cheerfully. Saguru did not know that he had such extensive knowledge of curse words until that moment. Because every single one of them was being chanted in his head. Conan continued with his story, but Saguru was only half listening. He needed confirmation. Did Conan have a soul mark? Not everyone did. And he couldn't just _ask_ , that was incredibly rude. Ran would know, wouldn't she? But how could he ask her? Saguru swallowed thickly. This was going to be difficult.

In the distance they heard and explosion. "Oh, that's my cue." Conan pulled out the detective badge and stepped aside slightly for some privacy.

"Hakuba-kun," Saguru glanced up. Ran was approaching him. "Soda-san let me know about the plan. I can't say I love the idea of the maid and I being drugged. But it does seem like the best way to set us aside."

"You'd probably like it less if we hadn't warned you before hand." Saguru remarked. "You realize you'll have to make it convincing for the cameras?"

"This isn't my first murder case." Ran said easily. "Or even my first time trapped in an isolated manor with a killer." She smiled. "I feel a lot better now that we have a plan."

"Agreed." Saguru nodded. Then wonder what he could say next. "Actually, I was hoping to ask you something." Ran cocked her head, listening. "Conan said something about soul mates." Saguru told her. "And it just made me wonder, does he have a soul mark?"

"Ah, yes, he does." Ran nodded. "Don't let that negativity fool you. He's pretty cynical about soul mates, but I'm sure he'll appreciate it when he's older." Saguru wasn't sure what to make of that, but it wasn't his goal.

"And has there been any… indication that he's found his soul mate?" Saguru asked, as casually as he could. Ran visibly hesitated. Saguru tensed. It was KID.

"See, Conan's words are pretty generic." She said. "And given his apathy for soul marks as a whole. I'm pretty sure that di- wouldn't notice meeting his soul mate." Saguru noticed the catch. She was going to say that Conan _didn't_ notice meeting his soul mate. It had already happened. But according to Conan's story, Ran hadn't been there. How would she know if the small detective hadn't realized?

"Ran-san, I don't mean to be intrusive, but it seems that you are rather… evasive about your ward's soul mark. Is there any particular reason?" Ran bit her lip.

"It's because my soul mark indicates someone a lot older." Conan stated dryly, wandering up to them. "Not that it matters, it's not like it means anything." Ran looked like she wanted to protest.

"Ran-chan, could you come over here? I want to ask you some medical questions so I can gauge the drug properly." Soda called, interrupting Ran before she could speak.

"Ah! I'm coming!" With one more glance at the two of them, Ran hurried over to the other woman.

"I really think the whole soul mark thing is bogus." Conan said conversationally. Saguru felt an immediate rush of sympathy for Kuroba. If he was right, Kuroba was facing a fair amount of difficulty… as if the age difference weren't bad enough. "Why should some marks on the skin dictate anything in my life?" Saguru found himself smiling. He respected Conan's opinion. Even if it would be hard on his friend. Conan looked at him curiously. "Why were you asking about my soul mark anyway?"

"I was interested. I had a case sometime back when one of my coworkers began covering for a suspect in a murder." Saguru stated smoothly. It was fortunate he'd began thinking of excuses as soon as Conan walked up. This story had the benefit of being true. "I knew that Officer Haggerty had never met this person before. It made no sense that he would lie and conceal evidence the way he was."

"And they were soul mates." Conan rolled his eyes. "As if it means anything."

"Well, I wouldn't say it's meaning _less_ but Officer Haggerty did go a bit far for someone he'd just met." Saguru agreed. "I like to think that soul marks are more a guide than a hard fast rule." Conan rolled his eyes.

"It's pretty pointless for me anyway. I'm glad that my soul mark is so generic." He unbuttoned the top of his shirt. "See? You don't know how many times I hear 'Hey boy' a day. It doesn't even register at this point." Saguru saw the words peeking out from under his collar. It… _sounded_ like something Kuroba would say… Clearly this required farter investigation… Not that he had a clue what he would do if it were true. Saguru shook himself.

"Conan, what do you say to exploring the house a bit more." Saguru suggested. "It would be interesting to find some clues, and we have to make it look good for the killer anyway. Besides," he added. "I'd love to hear your thoughts on the potential for romance between Holmes and Adler."

"That sounds great, Hakuba-niisan!" Conan's voice took an air of childish excitement. And Saguru waved at Ran to let her know that Conan was with him while they set out. "Just remember to listen for Mogi-san and occhan getting back. We want to be there when they break the 'bad news' about Senma-obasan." With that, Saguru and Conan set out in the house stained by tragedy, chatting amicably about murder, puzzles, and Sherlock Holmes.

* * *

_|_|_  
.^_O~

Kaito was relieved when he heard Conan's voice piping through the detective badge that had been slipped into his pocket. Not only did it confirm that Conan was safe, but Conan also explained his deductions before he started to go into his plans for trapping Senma. Kaito had been terrified when that car went over the cliff, certain that he'd failed to protect someone else. Kaito wasn't happy to admit that he hadn't picked up on who the killer was. But he was a magician, he created tricks, he didn't unravel them. Better to leave the detective work to his soul mate.

"This kid's smart." Mogi chuckled, overhearing the plan. "Definitely more street wise than you." 'Mouri' glared at him. "Never thought I'd see the point of kids until now. Maybe Senma-obasan was right about me having to settle down." Kaito gaped at him.

"But, she's trying to kill us." Kaito said in disbelief. "Why would you listen to her?" Mogi shrugged.

"We were friends before this. She's just gone a little batty." He grinned. "And if she really wanted us dead she would have just killed us. I'm not sure who the rest of this charade is for, but I'm sure that Ogami-san is the only one she actually wanted dead." Kaito gaped at him until he shook his head. He did not understand this guy.

Kaito and Mogi walked back to the manor. Kaito making sure to occasionally mutter about long walks the way Mouri would have. When they got back to the house Kaito spotted Ran with Soda and the maid, but there was no sign of Conan. "Where's the brat?" He demanded, with a bit more panic than Mouri would have had. At that moment, Hakuba and Conan appeared at the top of the stairs to Kaito's palpable relief. Good, Hakuba was looking after his soul mate. Kaito tried to ignore his twinge of jealousy at the animated conversation between Conan and Hakuba that broke when they approached the others. He should have expected them to get along…

The farce began as 'Mouri' broke the news of Senma's 'murder'. Hakuba nodded at the other detectives slightly as he slipped away. Setting up their tricks under the pretext of 'investigating' no doubt. He'd have to make his actions look natural to Senma if she had arrived there before them and was watching through the cameras. It was amusing to realize that Hakuba was the one setting up tricks now instead of Kaito. They agreed to split up into the groups previously decided on. Soda with the two girls so that she could drug them later, and Mogi, 'Mouri', and Conan in the other group. Mogi made a point of noticing Hakuba's absence.

"Maybe he's feeding his hawk or something." Soda suggested in a smooth voice that still somehow suggested she knew more than the others. That she knew something about Hakuba. Kaito, Mogi, and Conan walked up the stairs.

The first room that had anything that seemed out of place was the one with the large grand piano. There was evidence that Hakuba had been there, though they weren't sure when, and Mogi found a code that Kaito knew Hakuba couldn't possibly have missed. The code confirmed elements of the story their host had told them. Then they noticed the luminol. Kaito wondered if Soda had put it there before they arrived or if Hakuba had arranged it. Mogi ordered Kaito to hit the lights. What Kaito saw made his stomach drop. A riddle… written in blood. He swallowed bile.

Then there was a gunshot. Even though Kaito had been expecting it, it filled him with dread. They raced in the direction of the sound, leaving Conan alone in the room. They saw Hakuba lying in a pool of blood in the hallway. Kaito let Mogi grab him to see if he was alive. Kaito _knew_ that he was. It was all part of the plan. But he also knew that the blood looked sickeningly real, and if he touched the British detective he would probably start shaking him until he reacted in someway and end up giving the entire game away. One thing was certain. Hakuba lying there… blood pooling under him, staining his usually pristine clothing, smeared on the side of his face… the image was going to plague his nightmares for a long time to come.

At the room at the top of the stairs Soda was lying apparently dead. And Mogi turned on 'Mouri'. "Soda-san wouldn't fall for her own trap." He pointed the gun at Kaito. "The murderer is either you or me… And I know it's not me." Mogi fired, and Kaito recoiled from the fake bullet hit. "It must be you." Kaito slumped against the wall. "It's a crime to be suspected, don't think too badly of me, Sleeping Kogoro-san." Mogi lit a cigarette and immediately began to fake cyanide poisoning. He fell backwards to the floor. After a moment, light footsteps walked by Kaito. Nimble fingers began to type on the keyboard. It was all up to Conan now.

* * *

Saguru was bored. Pretending to be dead could have that affect. The fake blood was uncomfortable. He was sure now that Mouri was Kaito KID. He'd seen just the briefest flicker of panic on his face when Conan was missing. Combined with the fact that Mouri's suit smelled strongly of stale cigarette smoke and he hadn't even reached for a pack of cigarettes was a decent confirmation that he wasn't Mouri Kogoro. Mouri ordering Saguru to look after Conan (and Ran) made a lot more sense. Kuroba knew that Saguru could be trusted. Though… If Saguru was right about KID's soul mark… KID was depending on Saguru to protect his soul mate. Saguru swallowed. He hadn't realized that the thief trusted him _that_ much. When enough time had passed, Saguru stood up and made his way to the room. He met the other detectives right outside.

He was having genuine difficulty understanding Senma. She told Mouri not to smoke so that he wouldn't be poisoned. She didn't _seem_ to want them to kill each other. Her motive for killing Ogami sounded like it was because _he_ wanted to kill people. The poisoned needle that was designed to kill the first person who went to the computer was Ogami's doing without Senma's knowledge. All she'd really done was allow Ogami to be poisoned, and that was his own fault for not wiping down his utensils properly. Senma wanting to kill everyone didn't make sense, but she didn't deny it. In the end he felt that Mogi's muttered conclusion was the most logical…

"She's gone batty." Mogi almost sounded sad about it. Right, they'd known each other before this… Mogi straightened. "She'll get off. Diminished capacity." Saguru gave him a look. Really, he still wanted Senma to get off? Was he going to interfere with her defense so that he could get her a lighter sentence? He tried to ignore the small voice in the back of his head. _And when it's Kuroba? Should I try to help him? Get him a lighter sentence too? I don't approve when it's a stranger. But what about when it's K-_ _ **Knock it off.**_ He told himself sternly. And returned his attention to the room where Senma had just admitted she hadn't arranged for an escape, though Mogi was right, they could always hike back to civilization. Yet another inconsistency in her behavior.

The detectives revealed themselves. Saguru thought that Senma might have looked a bit relieved, if shocked to see them all alive. They went through their deduction. How they'd known it was Senma when she took the coin farthest from her to ensure that she was in the car and could stage her own death. Senma was giving a cheekily grinning Conan an appraising look.

"Now how are we going to get away from here?" Mogi muttered thoughtfully. Soda frowned, glancing up.

"What's that sound?" She asked.

"Oh, it's probably the helicopter I called." Saguru said cheerfully. He noticed Mouri by the window. It wouldn't do for him to be getting away now. "I put an X on my Bayaa's car roof with tape so Waton could recognize it. Then I tied a note to her leg so that she could bring the message to Baaya."

"Then why didn't you tell us?" Soda demanded.

"We wouldn't have had to do that silly charade if we had known!" Mogi grumpily added. Saguru rolled his eyes, indulging in a rare moment of teenage insolence. Because then they wouldn't have found Senma? They wouldn't have had as much time to work out KID was Mouri? Conan wouldn't have had a chance to show off? Okay, that last one was a little bit odd. But Saguru could tell that Conan didn't have a chance to stand in the spotlight often, and he thought he deserved it. But Saguru didn't say any of that.

"I wasn't sure that she would land on the X." Saguru lied, it was easier than getting in an argument. "It's not the type of thing that hawks are usually trained for." Saguru moved beside Mouri/KID, trying to make it look as if he were just trying to spot the helicopter out the window also. He noticed Conan looking around uncomfortably.

"Hey, can we go outside?" He said, sounding worried but uncertain. Then he seemed to realize something and the childish façade made it's reappearance. "I wanna see the helicopter!" He bounced in place. "Let's get Ran-neechan and Maid-san too!"

When they were on the helicopter. Saguru suggested that Soda sit in the back with Ran and the maid so that she could keep an eye on them and any after affects from the drug. Conan sat beside Ran. So the only seat left for Mouri/KID was beside Saguru, just as he'd planned. Saguru was contemplating how best to unmask him. Conan obviously knew that Mouri was KID also. He could be an ally here.

He cast a glance at KID. Mogi was talking to Senma lightly right beside KID. Saguru was sure that Mogi was more attached to the old woman than he appeared. He shuddered slightly at a strange image shift when he looked at them. He saw himself sitting beside Kuroba asking him why, right were Mogi was now questioning Senma. He started when Kuro- Senma threw open the helicopter door and leapt out. KID shoved Mogi aside and jumped after her. Saguru felt his breath catch and his heart speed up.

 _Open it! Don't catch her! Just open it!_ His mind screamed as KID fell towards the old woman. Suddenly the white hang glider snapped open, as the Mouri Kogoro disguise flew off and was replaced with the white suit. Saguru sighed in relief. Then his glare returned. KID was escaping him again. Kuroba was going to be insufferable the next time they met.

* * *

_|_|_  
.^_O~

Kaito's heart was beating fast. That had been scary. Not so much the falling. The fear that he wouldn't catch Senma in time. "Aren't you a bit old to try to die, obasan?" Kaito asked, his smooth smile of a poker face in place.

"Don't be absurd. I only jumped to save you." Senma responded with a scolding tone. Kaito blinked.

"What?"

"It's my apology for using your name." Senma explained good-naturedly. "If I hadn't done this, you wouldn't have been able to escape from those boys." She cast her gaze back up at the helicopter. "Especially the little one." _I'll never be able to escape the little one._ Some part of Kaito's brain thought absently before he squashed it. Not the time. "That little boy was aiming at you with his watch."

"Oh, I guess that he found out." Kaito smiled, looking up at him. Hakuba stood behind the boy with a glare on his face. Great, he was going to be fun to deal with later.

"It was the cigarettes." Senma informed him. "You didn't smoke once. Since you got here. But Mouri Kogoro is a heavy smoker." Kaito grimaced. He hated cigarettes.

"Who are those children?" Senma asked curiously. Kaito huffed. How could he sum up his relationship with the detectives? The enjoyment and annoyance he felt when dealing him them? The desire to see them and the desire to keep them away?

"They are sort of like…" Kaito searched for the words. "The lovers you never want to meet." Kaito internally winced. God, that was sappy.

"I'm sorry you didn't get the treasure." Senma said, making conversation. Did she really think that he'd wanted it? That he was after it? He caught a glimpse of something shining in the morning light below him. He hid his disbelief under a smirk. He was after jewels, not gold.

"It's alright, I hadn't thought of how to steal something that big anyway." He dropped Senma, leaving her to dangle on the rope attached to the helicopter. Where she had the absolute best view to see the brick and mortar fell away from the shining golden manor. It was beautiful. Kaito glanced up at the helicopter and saw Hakuba pulling Conan away from the open door of the helicopter. But it wasn't the most beautiful thing he'd seen this morning.

Kaito turned his hang glider and headed home.

 **Author's Notes** **Alright, so I feel like there might be some controversial stuff in this chapter.** **1\. Hakuba figuring out the riddle and deduction before Conan. I have two reasons for that. One is that Hakuba investigated the house before hand. He's probably been putting all of the clues together for hours. Conan's only seen bits and pieces of the manor. Two... The answer to the riddle is a clock. A** ** _clock_** **! How could Hakuba not have figured this out first?** **2\. Hakuba working out parts about the soul mark. I played with five or six different reveals. In the end, I decided that straight forward was the best choice. Hakuba and Conan** ** _would_** **talk about their interactions with KID, it's something they have in common, and there is no way that Hakuba wouldn't notice the circumstances of Conan and KID's first meeting and not connect them to Kuroba's soul mark.** **3\. I freely admit I just used Saguru to rant about how** ** _bad_** **a choice it was to make Senma the culprit. It** ** _could_** **have been good, but it was** ** _way_** **too inconsistent.** **Also, I was never comfortable about the detectives collectively deciding to drug Ran and the maid without their consent. It was... weird.** **And... Like I said, I am next level tired. At one point I was working more than 11 hours a day. So... I'm just kinda hoping that this chapter maintains the level of quality that you are accustomed to.** **I've got one more chapter for this arc coming up. ^_^ You'll like it.**

 **Special thanks to Orika for her reviews! For the record, Conan does** ** _not_** **realize that Kaito is his soul mate.**

 **Remember! More reviews = faster updates!**


	15. Support System

Saguru put down his pen and reread his completed incident report for the police. He was the first to finish. He might have been a bit less through than usual. But he thought that between his report and those written by the other detectives all of the details would be covered. He had something important to investigate. Saguru stood and got two cups of tea and walked over to Ran.

"I understand they found your father." He said cordially.

"Yes, he was tied up in the gas station where we had to get a tire." She answered. Her relief was clear on her face. She accepted the cup.

"You don't have to write a witness statement?" Saguru asked, curiously.

"Oh, Conan and I don't have to do paperwork unless we saw something crucial." Ran smiled. "We've been involved in so many cases that Mom worked out a way for an exception to be made for us, as long as we are minors." Saguru blinked and looked at her skeptically. He hadn't heard of anything like that ever happening. Ran caught his expression and laughed. "My mom's a lawyer, Kisaki Eri."

"Ah, I see." Saguru nodded. "She has an excellent record." Hakuba took a hesitant sip of tea. How was he going to approach this? "I understand she and your father are soul mates." Ran smiled.

"They are." Then she got a tick of annoyance in her forehead. "Not that they act like it." It seemed to be a source of irritation to her, but Saguru pushed on.

"So, you think that soul mates are accurate?" He asked. "Even when Conan's indicates someone older?" Ran visibly tensed.

"I'm sure that everything will work out." She stated stiffly. "And, Hakuba-kun, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about Conan's soul mark." She stood and looked directly at him. Saguru distantly registered that she had subtly fallen into a martial arts stance. Her gaze wasn't quite a glare, but it was close. "Conan stopped caring about who saw it after I saw it for the first time. But it could lead to misunderstandings if it were common knowledge."

"I understand, you can count on my discretion." Saguru assured her. He personally believed that Conan was far too intelligent to be taken in by any phony soul mate scam, but he could see how it could create complicated misunderstandings. Especially with what looked like an entire overprotective police department on his heels. Saguru hesitated. "But I was wondering, what would you do if someone showed up claiming to be Conan's soul mate?"

"I'd use the liar as my punching bag." Ran said with a frightening smile. **BAM!** Hakuba flinched and looked at the cracks that had just formed in the wall, spider-webbing away from her fist. "He wouldn't be able to tell anymore lies for a while." Hakuba swallowed.

"Ran-chan! We told you not to do that anymore!" Ran jumped as a female officer hurried up to her.

"Oops! Sorry, Satou-keiji." Ran pulled her hand away embarrassed.

"Geez," Satou sighed. "I'll have to put in a maintenance request. For some reason they don't give me as much grief as the others if something breaks." Ran laughed embarrassed. During the exchange Saguru was mulling over Ran's words. When Satou left and Ran turned back to him he looked her squarely in the eye.

"Ran-san, you seemed certain that anyone who claimed to be Conan's soul mate would be lying, does that mean that you _know_ who his soul mate is?" It was the only thing that Saguru could think of, but Conan hadn't mentioned anything. Had he realized KID was his soul mate after all? Ran hesitated. How could he get her to open up? How could he convince her to _tell_ him what she knew? "I'm worried about him too." He blurted out. Ran's expression immediately softened. And Saguru tried not to babble as he gained his momentum. "I mean, he's a kid, and even smart children might jump to the wrong conclusions. And even if _he_ doesn't take soul marks seriously, someone else _might_ and they might assume that they are soul mates. And," Saguru slowed, realizing that he was utterly failing at _not_ babbling. To make matters worse he appeared to be babbling nonsense. "I just want to make sure that Conan knows what he's getting into with his soul mate." _Not that anyone knows that they are getting into with Kuroba._ He thought balefully. Ran was smiling softly at him.

"I understand." She nodded. "You don't have to worry. I _do_ know who Conan's soul mate is, even if they haven't realized it themselves." Saguru frowned.

"How could you not realize who your soul mate is?" He asked. "I know that Conan's soul mark is generic, and given his cynical attitude, he probably doesn't _want_ to find his soul mate, but how could his soul mate fail to notice?"

"His soul mark was destroyed before anyone could read it." Ran hurried to the defense of Conan's alleged soul mate. "But I'm sure it's him! He's a high school detective, and he and Conan get along _really_ well."

"And you're okay with a _high school_ soul mate for an elementary schooler?" Saguru kept his voice subdued. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. Was it relief that Kuroba's soul mate _wasn't_ seven? Was it continued concern over Conan who _did_ have a high school soul mate that _wasn't_ Kuroba?

"He's Osakan." Ran said, like it was important. Hakuba raised an eyebrow. And Ran realized that she might need to explain. "In Osaka most soul mates are platonic." She laughed. "There's no way he's romantically interested in Conan, he's _much_ more interested in being best friends."

"I see…" Saguru muttered. Ran suddenly seemed to realize just how much she had said.

"Hakuba-kun! You have to promise not to tell anyone!" She grabbed Saguru's hand. "Kazuha-chan and I are the only ones who know." She looked up at him with wide pleading eyes. "If it gets out Conan's sure to figure it out, and then Hattori will find out and try to move to Tokyo and it will all just be a big mess!"

"Uh, sure." Saguru agreed. "I promise. I won't say a word."

"Thank you." Ran smiled at him.

Someone cleared their throat. Saguru looked down, and there was Conan glaring at him. "Ran-neechan, why are you holding Hakuba-niisan's hand?" He asked pointedly. Ran blinked and hastily let go of Saguru's hand with an air of embarrassment.

"Oh, nothing." She laughed. Conan looked between them suspiciously.

"Come on, Ran-neechan! I wanna get some breakfast!" He grabbed Ran by the hand and pulled her childishly along. Saguru raised an eyebrow at his antics. Conan had the grace to look sheepish. Saguru wasn't sure why Conan tried to act so childish around his caretaker, but it certainly was curious.

Saguru trailed behind the pair. Despite Ran's certainty, Saguru wasn't convinced. After all, Ran didn't have any real _proof_ that Conan and this Osakan detective were soul mates. No one knew what the other detective's soul mark was. Clearly this warranted farther investigation.

* * *

Kaito wasn't sure if he was relieved or grumpy when he found Hakuba knocking on his door. It seemed like he always felt something positive and negative when it came to the British detective. He put that in a box to analyze later. "What are you doing here?" He asked leaning against his door frame with a scowl. "And where's Aoko?" It was unnatural seeing Hakuba without her outside of a heist. She acted as a buffer between them.

"I have a hypothetical question for you." Hakuba said. Kaito blinked. Hakuba seemed… uncomfortable. He shifted from his foot slightly and he seemed hesitant. Kaito straightened staring at him warily. "If your soul mate was ten years younger than you, what would you do?" Kaito's heart dropped. His poker face slammed into place, but not before horror passed over his expression for an instant. "Only theoretically." Hakuba hastily added.

Kaito was freaking out behind his poker face. How had Hakuba figured it out?! He didn't _think_ he'd treated Conan any differently than Mouri would have! What was he supposed to say?! He'd been silent too long already! Hadn't he?! "Why do you want to know?" Kaito blurted out, just to buy himself some time. Hakuba swallowed.

"I have… a friend, and his soul mate turned out to be a lot younger than him." He said. If Kaito wasn't trying to control himself his jaw would have dropped. "I just wanted to know what you would do if it were you."

Kaito stared at him suspiciously. This was unexpected. He really hadn't anticipated Hakuba deducing Conan was his soul mate. He wondered how he'd done it. More importantly, how was he supposed to answer Hakuba? "Theoretically?" Hakuba nodded. "I'd wait. For however long I had to." Hakuba scrutinized him. Kaito had to try very hard not to squirm under his distrustful eyes. Then he seemed to come to a decision. He nodded.

"I met a very interesting kid this weekend." He said. " _Maybe_ I'll introduce you sometime." Hakuba turned around before he could see Kaito's jaw actually drop. The thief was floored. What was he supposed to make of that?

"Hakuba!" He called. The detective turned. Kaito's eyes narrowed. He didn't know what the detective was up to… but… he grabbed his jacket. "Tell me, have you ever been to the Blue Parrot?" He asked, closing the door behind him.

* * *

He'd been doing research on the person that Ran believed was Conan's soul mate, Hattori Heiji. Superficially, Saguru could understand Ran's assumption, and her desire for Conan to have a platonic soul mate that she could approve of. But she had no way of knowing if Hattori's soul mark actually matched. Saguru had to know the truth. And he had to reassure himself that, if his suspicions _were_ correct, Kuroba wouldn't do something that both he and Conan would regret their entire lives.

Any of Saguru's doubt about whether or not Conan was Kuroba's soul mate was cleared away when he saw Kuroba's reaction to his question. The out of the blue question shouldn't have been able to rattle the magician unless he had personal experience. It wasn't hard evidence. But Saguru _knew_ Kuroba, and he knew that the reaction to his question indicated one thing. Conan was his soul mate. It might not matter to Conan, but Saguru knew that it mattered to Kuroba.

When Kuroba said that he would wait… Saguru believed him. If the magician ever revealed Edogawa Conan was his soul mate, Saguru would have confirmation that Kuroba Kaito was Kaitou KID… But he estimated he had a good ten years before he had to worry about that. More if Conan's distrust of soul marks persisted. Until then… well, Saguru was loathed to admit that he trusted Kuroba. If Kuroba said he would wait for Conan to grow up… He would.

Until then, it couldn't hurt to let Kuroba know he had his support (and his sympathy). Saguru thought he'd need both. And apparently… it was appreciated. Kuroba had only pranked him twice on the walk to the Blue Parrot. Saguru smiled as Kuroba cockily challenged him to a game of billiards. He could worry about KID and Conan later. Now he needed to focus on trouncing Kuroba at billiards.

* * *

Aoko eventually showed up at the Blue Parrot, and with her help Kaito was _finally_ able to beat Hakuba at a game of pool. He _would_ have been able to beat him sooner but Jii-chan kept giving him a disappointed look whenever Kaito started playing tricks and… it _was_ Jii-chan's place of business; so no cheating. Aoko teased Kaito and Hakuba about finally getting along, which both of them vehemently denied: Kaito loudly and Hakuba with backhanded insults about the magician. But watching Aoko… it occurred to him. Aoko should have been the first to know that he'd found his soul mate, not _Hakuba_ (even if all he had were suspicions). He'd been putting it off for too long.

"I've had enough. Why don't you teach this blond a lesson, Jii-chan?" Kaito called. The old man raised an eyebrow but accepted the cue. "Aoko, let's go get drinks." Kaito dragged the protested Aoko away. She sighed noisily once they reached the bar.

"So, what did you want to say to Aoko?" She asked. Kaito blinked at her. She rolled her eyes. "Aoko _knows_ you really well, BaKaito." She shook her head with a long suffering sigh. "You have something to say, right? So just say it!" Kaito glanced over at Jii-chan and Hakuba, and drew her into the backroom.

"Alright," Kaito took a deep breath. "Aoko, I…" He looked at her open trusting face. "I found my soul mate." Aoko shrieked and threw her arms around her friend in a tight hug.

"KAITO REALLY?! AOKO CAN'T BELIEVE IT! WHO-"

"SHHH!" Kaito shushed her frantically, eyeing the door. He hoped that the sound proofing Jii-chan had put in was effective. "Aoko! I don't want anyone to know!" Aoko lowered her voice with obvious effort.

"Kaito! That's amazing! When can Aoko meet her?" She was positively bouncing in place. Kaito had to wonder why he'd been so worried about how she would take it. Kaito shook his head.

"Not for a while." Aoko drooped, then she perked up with indignation.

"Why? Aoko wants to meet your better half!" She complained angrily. Kaito rubbed the back of his head, stress building.

"I'm sorry, Aoko." Aoko's anger diminished slightly at the sound of Kaito's genuine regret. "It's complicated… but you can't meet him. Not yet." Aoko had taken the news of Kaito's soul mate astonishingly well, but finding out that he was seven was a different matter.

"Oooh, it's a _him_." Aoko's grin was frighteningly similar to Kaito's. Kaito flushed. Her smile softened. "Aoko is happy for you, Kaito." She hugged him, and he hugged her back. When Aoko pulled away, there was a question in her face. "And you don't want anyone else to know?" Kaito shook his head.

"Not yet." He said. "And before you ask, I can't really say why…" Aoko sighed.

"Only Kaito's soul mate would be so confusing." She complained, and looked at him pleadingly. "Can you at least tell Aoko a little bit about him?" Kaito smiled.

"He's amazing."


	16. May the Fourth (Bonus Chapter)

No one was surprised when they walked into class on May Fourth and found it decorated like the set of Star Wars (though several students did wonder just how _rich_ Kaito's family had to be for him to able to afford supplies for this stuff). They were even less surprised when Hakuba became Darth Vader and other members of the class were decked out in StormTrooper gear and a few lucky ones were in Rebel uniforms. They were mildly confused when Aoko became a gender bent Luke and Kaito became Prince Leia, but weren't too worried. The thing that truly shocked them was when Kaito ducked out of class early instead of sticking around and terrorizing them. They couldn't relax, sure that he'd pop up again. Though it was somewhat amusing when the teacher, dressed as the Emperor, ordered Hakuba Vader to "Ground that darn Prince of Pranks".

Meanwhile, Kaito was speeding towards Beika. He was feeling overly excited. He had outfits for all of the Detective Boys. Kaito was still dressed as Prince Leia, loose white shirt tied at the waist and billowy pants; he'd even changed his face a bit so that he looked something like Leia (because it never hurt to be too careful around Conan). He had a goal. He had a plan.

Kaito's burner phone started to ring. Kaito glanced at it and immediately adopted the correct voice. "Kobayashi-sensei," He greeted Conan's teacher. "Are the students ready to celebrate May the Fourth?"

"I'm sorry, Sora-kun." Kobayashi-sensei said apologetically. "I know that you arranged to come and do a Star Wars play today, but Conan-kun, you know, the little boy you wanted to play Han Solo?" Kaito felt his heart drop, though Kobayashi didn't sound frantic enough for Conan to be in current danger.

"What about him?" Kaito asked, his voice even enough to pass as casual. Thank god for his poker face.

"Well, he was involved in that bombing attempt yesterday." Kobayashi said. "And the principal is letting me take the class to visit him in the hospital this afternoon instead."

"Is he alright?!" Kaito immediately blurted out. The fear was so tangible in his voice that Kobayashi hurried to assure him that Conan was fine.

"Just a few scratches." She finished. "But since he's been shot recently-"

"He's been _shot_?!" Kaito gasped. Kaito could almost hear Kobayashi blink.

"…It's been a long year for him." She said. "What I mean is, Conan's fine, they are just making sure that his previous injuries don't complicate anything." Kaito swallowed thickly.

"Alright then..." He said. "We can do something else another time."

"Thank you. Sorry for canceling on such short notice, Sora-kun." She apologized again and hung up. Kaito mechanically put the phone away. So much for getting a picture of Prince Leia-Kaito and Conan-Han Solo together… But more importantly…

CONAN GOT SHOT?! INJURED ON A REGULAR BASIS?!

Kaito let his head fall into his hands and clutched at his hair. Why? He wasn't sure what he was asking. He needed a moment to adjust.

Finally Kaito took a deep breath. Alright. He was going to the hospital; probably the one closest to the detective agency. Kaito got off at the right stop. Did he have a nurse costume? Doctor might be easier. He just needed a lab coat, right? In no time at all, Kaito was at the hospital. He spotted Conan in the garden surrounded by his classmates.

"I'm really fine." The boy insisted.

"Conan means 'thank you for visiting'." Ran reminded Conan, looking a bit patched up herself. "And…"

"I'm sorry for worrying you." Conan meekly finished. Ran smiled at him.

"Better." She said, and Conan beamed up at her. Kaito glowered. How dare She let his soul mate get hurt… Again. Kaito was not happy with her. He skulked in the garden before he went to steal a lab coat. His face still looked vaguely like Leia. It was at least a bit more of a disguise. Kaito returned to the garden to find that the other kids had by and large lost interest in Conan. He and Ran were sitting on a park bench while the other students were running around bothering talking to the other patients.

"Hey, Ran-neechan." Conan said hesitantly.

"Yes, Conan-kun?" She looked down at him expectantly.

"Shinichi-niichan told me he's glad you didn't want to cut the read thread." He said. Kaito stared at him. Why was he blushing? "Even if it is just a bunch of nonsense."

"Oh, Conan." Ran sighed. "Always so cynical." She patted his head fondly. Eventually, Ran walked him inside. The children waved them goodbye. Kaito followed, donning the lab coat.

"Now, the doctor wants to check on you one more time before you go home." She reminded Conan. "Rest in here until he's ready, okay?"

"Alright." Conan nodded. Ran walked back out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. Kaito waited for her to turn the corner before he approached Conan's room. As he opened the door he distinctly heard Conan mutter. "Some birthday this has been."

 **Author's Note: Yeah, I just noticed it was Shinichi's birthday and hammered this out. Hope you liked it...**


	17. Picking a Present (Bonus Chapter)

Somehow, Kaito's soul mate always managed to surprise him. He burst through the door. "It's your birthday?" He demanded, so surprised he used his real voice. Conan jumped and eyed him. Kaito was suddenly very aware of everything wrong with his disguise. Conan tilted his head.

"You're either my mother or Kaitou KID, since you're definitely not a doctor." He stated flatly. Kaito flushed slightly, though it was obscured by foundation and latex.

"Is it wrong for me to visit?" He demanded defensively. Conan rolled his eyes.

"That depends on whether you are my mother or KID, since that's something both of them would say." Conan sighed and laced his hands behind his head. "Though I'm guessing that you are KID, since Mom should know my birthday. She usually calls or shows up to remind me."

"Remind you? How does someone forget their own birthday?" Kaito asked flummoxed. Conan shrugged.

"Not important." He casually replied. Somehow that response made Kaito boiling mad.

"Of course it is!" He snapped. "You're important aren't you?" Kaito spun on his heel. "Hasn't your neechan planned anything?"

"No!" Kaito froze at the panic in the boy's voice. "Don't tell her!" Kaito slowly turned back to him.

"Why not?" Kaito asked confusion melded with concern. Conan was staring at him wide-eyed, almost afraid. He hid it quickly and sat back into bed.

"My birthday's the same as Shinichi-niichan's." Conan sighed. "Ran-neechan will feel bad if she finds out that she planned something for him and not for me." Conan shrugged. "Besides, I don't like to make a big deal out of it."

Kaito thought about his words. They sounded like a lie, but it was clear that he didn't want Kaito to tell Ran. He could maybe use that. Kaito grinned mischievously. "I'll make you a deal." He offered. Conan eyed him warily.

"What kind of deal?"

"I won't tell your Ran-neechan or any of your friends it's your birthday, if you have birthday ice cream with me." Conan raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?" He asked.

Kaito shrugged. "Well, I was going to kidnap you to an amusement park, but you are injured." His eyes sharpened. "Speaking of which-"

"If I say yes will you also drop the safety talk?" Conan cut him off. Kaito set his jaw. He wanted to say no, but clearly Conan wasn't in the mood to listen and agreeing would buy him brownie points.

"Fine." He acquiesced reluctantly. He could always bring it up later.

"Alright, let's go." Conan stood up.

"Nope." Kaito pushed him back into the bed, wagging a finger at him. "Not until you are discharged." Conan gave him an incredulous look.

"Are you serious right now?" He asked. Kaito glared at him.

"Tantei-kun, today I found out that no only were you blown up yesterday, but that you've recently been shot." Kaito's eyebrow twitched, and he raised a hand to halt Conan's protests. "I'm not letting you go anywhere without a doctor's okay." They stared each other down, until Conan relented.

"Fine." He sighed, rubbing the eyes under his glasses. Kaito grinned.

"Awesome, I'll pick you up an hour after you are released." He bounced on his heels. "And Tantei-kun," Conan glanced up at him from between his fingers. "Happy birthday." Kaito vanished.

* * *

Hakuba was finding out that all of his shirts were Star Wars themed, when his phone rang. He raised an eyebrow at the contact name. He answered the phone. "This is new."

"Tantei-san!" The usually suave voice was speaking fast and fearful causing Hakuba to tense. "This is an emergency. What would you want for your birthday?!" Hakuba rolled his eyes, so not an emergency after all.

"I'd want my shirts back." He answered dryly.

"This is serious, Tantei-san!" KID snapped. Hakuba frowned. He'd never heard KID so frazzled. He was sorely tempted to use KID's state of mind against him, but given the nature of his request, this was almost certainly related to Conan. Hakuba had already promised himself not to use the boy against the thief. Would this count? "Tantei-san, please!"

Yes, it would. Hakuba sighed heavily. "You need it now, right? This is a short notice thing. Then get him the Red Rum arc of the Detective Samonji series."

"Wouldn't he have read that?" KID asked, almost frantic. Hakuba rubbed the back of his head, having mixed feelings about what he was advising the thief.

"Mouri-chan decided it was too violent and wouldn't let Conan buy it. None of the shopkeepers will sell it to him." He responded.

"If it's really that violent, should I be giving it him?" Hakuba could practically hear the frown in KID's voice.

"I was talking to Conan about several series that I consider much more graphic, so I'm not worried." Hakuba assured him.

"Alright, thanks, Tantei-san." KID sounded calmer.

"And KID, Conan's favorite dessert is lemon pie." Hakuba added.

"How did you know it's Conan's birthday?" KID asked, seeming to have just realized that he'd never mentioned Conan's name.

"You basically told me." Hakuba rolled his eyes. "I certainly hope that my shirts are going to be back where I left them by tomorrow." Hakuba hung up, feeling strangely satisfied with himself.

* * *

 **I forgot to tell you Hyperkaoru did fanart! I'm super flattered!**

 **hyperkaoru13. deviant art art/DCMK-fanart-The-Trouble-with-Soulmarks-602975511**


	18. Birthday Bash (Bonus Chapter)

Conan tried to forget about the fact that KID was coming to kidnap him as Ran walked him down the street. It had been truly bizarre to find the thief in his room. He had to wonder what had possessed KID to visit him. He'd been able to easily discount Vermouth or one of the other Black Organization members because they wouldn't exactly care that it was his birthday. He wasn't really interested in going for ice cream with KID. First of all it was _weird_. Second, despite his protests to the doctors and Ran, he really was feeling exhausted, and didn't have the patience for any of KID's nonsense right now. Sure he _said_ he was just going to take him for ice cream, but what if he was planning to take him to an amusement park? Or prank him? Or somehow use him to deliver his latest notice to Nakamori? That last one seemed the most likely. Why else would KID be looking for him in the first place? Conan scratched the back of his head and pulled closer to Ran. He could probably out KID and sic Ran on him the moment he arrived. Though he wasn't sure that was what he wanted. Conan was terribly curious about why KID had visited him in the first place… He couldn't really leave that mystery unsolved, could he?

"Oi, Conan!" Conan frowned at the familiar Osakan voice and turned. Hattori Heiji was grinning at him as he sauntered down the street. Conan glowered at him.

"Hattori-kun, what are you doing here?" Ran asked in surprise.

"I heard about what happened." Hattori said solemnly. "I thought I'd come and take the kid's mind off thin's by takin' him out."

"Um, I'm not sure if that's a good idea right now." Ran glanced back at Conan. "He needs his rest." Hattori glanced at Conan, but was only met with a deadpan stare. If he wanted to get Conan on his own, he wasn't getting any help from him.

"Come on, nee-chan." Hattori protested, getting the message. "Ya know I'll take care of him!" Ran glanced between the two of them hesitantly.

"Alright." She relented. "But just because it's you, Hattori." He grinned widely. "And make sure to bring him back within two hours." She added quickly. Conan gaped at her. Why did she always let Hattori take him? Conan didn't have much more time to think about it because he'd gently lifted Conan under his arms and arranged him on his back. Conan looped his hands around the man's neck (a bit more roughly than he had to) to keep from falling. He adjusted the boy slightly.

"I'll see ya later." Hattori grinned, and hurried away with Conan on his back, careful not to jostle him.

Once they were out of view Conan started squirming. "Let me down, KID." He snapped. KID's arms tightened on his legs. Conan grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. "Let me down or I start yelling that you're kidnapping me." Conan hissed in his ear. KID knelt and Conan jumped down. Conan glowered at KID who stayed at his eye level.

"I don't like that." Conan informed him. He only allowed Hattori to carry him like that when he was injured and they had to get around. In any other situation it was demeaning, especially when it was someone he didn't trust.

"I'm sorry." KID said. Conan was startled by the sincerity in his voice. He'd dropped the accent and Hattori's voice. "It won't happen again." KID stood up. "I wanted to do something special." He informed Conan conversationally. "But I didn't want to aggravate any injuries." KID started walking away, confident that Conan would follow him… Which he did, much to his own irritation. "And most of my plans for… larger celebrations would have alerted your Ran-neechan to your birthday." KID continued. "So…" KID stopped in front of an ice cream parlor and waited for Conan to catch up. Conan glanced up at him suspiciously. Then, with a heavy sigh, he stepped through the door. The man at the door glanced up and smiled. He was wearing a Star Wars bartender's outfit and the rest of the shop was decorated with a similar theme.

"Welcome to the Celestial Conundrums Ice Cream." The man greeted them. Conan's jaw dropped. KID leaned over next to him. "I designed all the riddles and puzzles myself." He whispered in his ear. Conan glanced at him in surprise. KID grinned. "I think you'll find them challenging."

* * *

Conan spent the next hour and a half solving puzzles and the occasional "crime" designed by Kaitou KID. He had no idea how the thief had set all of this up so fast. At the end, Conan was sitting at a table with a lemon pie. He wasn't sure how KID had managed to learn that was his favorite, it wasn't even on the menu. KID placed a wrapped package on the table before him. Conan glanced at him questioningly.

"It's a present." He responded. "You're supposed to open it." Conan picked it up and started feeling the wrapping paper. KID frowned. "Seriously? You're not supposed to deduce what's in birthday presents!" Conan shrugged with a slight smile. KID rolled his eyes.

It was pretty clearly a stack of books. But there was no way to deduce which ones until he opened it. Conan tore open the paper and was greeted with a stack of hard cover Sherlock Holmes. "Thanks, KID." Conan said. He obviously had them already, but he could never have enough copies. He would have expected Arséne Lupin or something else egotistical from the thief. KID rolled his eyes.

"You might want to look a little deeper, tantei-kun." KID reminded him. Right, he would never be what was expected. Conan frowned and picked up the book. The dustcover looked different from the hard cover beneath it. Conan pulled off the dustcover and his eyes widened. He turned to look at KID.

"How did you know?" He gaped, holding the first book of Detective Samonji's Red Rum arc. KID preened.

"I have my ways." KID was enamored with the giddy look on Conan's face. But that was all he got. Because the next moment Conan had opened the book and barely said a word to him until the now pouting and neglected phantom thief was dropping him back off at the Detective Agency.

KID knelt down in front of him and lowered the book in front of Conan's face with a fingertip. Conan tore his eyes away from the page and met KID's. He at least had the grace to look sheepish. "Have fun?" KID asked, teetering between pouty and amused.

"More than I was expecting to." Conan admit. "You put a lot of work into this, I have no idea how you got it all ready in so little time." KID flushed, pleased. Conan hesitated. "Thank you, KID." He said after a moment. "I usually forget my birthday and the person who usually does something special for it was…" His eyes strayed away wistfully. "Occupied today." KID felt his heart swell. "So, just…" Conan blushed. "Thank you." KID beamed and embraced Conan, who squawked in displeasure and surprise.

"You're welcome, tantei-kun." He murmured, with so much warmth that Conan stopped his fussing. He could feel the thief's reluctance to release him, but after a moment he pulled away. "Enjoy the books." He nodded. Conan smiled up at him.

"I will." Conan assured him, and hurried up the stairs. There he spent the rest of his birthday devouring the books, and finding KID riddles that the thief had placed in each novel as bookmarks.

* * *

 **Alright, so not my best. I have been SO INSANELY BUSY!**

 **...I am so tired... *cry***


	19. Gifts Galore (Bonus Chapter)

**And out on Kaito's birthday! Which is also my step-mother's birthday (she is awesome too). Really trying to get the next chapter of Trouble with Soulmarks out today too.**

 **And** ** **hyperkaoru13 on DeviantArt** made me fanart! Check it out and tell her how much you like it! Kay? **

* * *

Kuroba Kaito's birthday was a big event in his class. Aoko always threw a party after school, but the main reason that the prankster's birthday was such a big deal was the presents. It was an unspoken rule that whom ever got Kuroba the best present was exempt from his pranks for an entire week. Since his birthday was right before a series of grueling exams before summer break, it was a prize worth fighting for. Kaito tried not to cackle at the pile of presents covering his desk and the combination of excited and nervous looks cast his way.

Kaito pulled a large sheet out of thin air and covered the pile of presents. He whipped the sheet off and the presents had vanished. Aoko raised an eyebrow, no doubt waiting for the next part of the trick. She was not disappointed. With a snap of his fingers personalized party favors appeared on the desk of everyone who had left a gift on his desk. She nodded in approval. And class started.

Kaito was in such a good mood that his magic tricks were actually tailored to help the lesson rather than humiliate anyone. His day was even better when Hakuba hurried into class and apologized for being late. The detective abruptly found himself in the corner wearing a dunce hat. Kaito smirked when the blond gave him a dirty look and turned the plain dunce hat into a party hat with a flick of the wrist. Hakuba reluctantly handed the birthday boy an envelope. Kaito frowned. Seriously? Just a card? Kaito tried to ignore his hurt. Even if it had money or a gift card inside, didn't Hakuba know him better than that? Kaito hated those kinds of impersonal gifts.

The party after school was as much a hit. Kaito provided the entertainment, because there was no way he was letting someone _else_ have the attention on _his_ birthday. Anyone who hadn't given him a present in class gave him one now, and Kaito tried not to laugh at how obviously ornate and expensive some of them were.

It was only after the party that Kaito dug into the gifts. He started with the ones from people he didn't know as well. They were pretty generic. Customized card decks, biographies of various magicians, scarves, didn't they realize he had most of these? One classmate he didn't know as well got major brownie points for giving him transportable water bowls for his doves. Keiko came closer with a scrapbook about Kaitou KID, since they were fellow fans. Kaito grinned as he skimmed it. She had an entire section dedicated to Conan (it was slightly smaller than the one for Hakuba but still). He propped the scrap book open on a picture of Conan that the fangirl had clearly taken herself and went back to the rest of the presents. He felt rather awkward about the too expensive gaming system that two classmates had chipped in for. It wasn't a great present, he probably wouldn't use it much, but he felt guilty receiving it when it was basically just a bribe from two desperate classmates. He'd figure out what to do about them and the gaming system later.

Then he turned to Akako's gift. He opened it gingerly. He really hoped it wasn't something nasty. Kaito blinked and grinned. It was a deck of tarot cards. A good one that looked as if they had been carefully selected, but were still wrapped in plastic, with a note that said she knew he'd never use them if she made them herself. Kaito removed the plastic and started doing a few tricks with them. They were a different size than a usual deck of cards, but still ideal for slight of hand. Kaito could have a lot of fun combining magic tricks and fortune telling to mess with people using these. He laughed. He hadn't expected to _like_ Akako's gift, let alone use it!

Aoko's gift was thoughtful as always. It was a jacket that he suspected she'd modified herself to have a dozen hidden pockets in unusual places. A few of the pockets had presents in them too: a chocolate bar was hidden in the pocket at the wrist, a warm hand knit scarf was stuffed awkwardly in a pocket on the hood, and when he put his hand in one of the two normal pockets he felt a keychain. Kaito grinned as he removed it. Then he shrieked and threw it across the room when he realized what it was. He could actually hear Aoko laughing across the way. "Dammit Ahoko!" He shouted, knowing she could hear him. The girl just kept laughing. Not even dignifying him with a response. Kaito dropped a handkerchief over the fish keychain in disgust. Well, that took Aoko out of the running for best gift.

Kaito started pulling the wrapping paper out of the way and grimaced at the white envelope that had fallen to the bottom of the pile. He picked it up with a sigh. There probably _was_ money in it. Hakuba was probably just too socially awkward to know what to get a friend as a present. Kaito frowned as he opened the envelope. Maybe he could take him shopping for Aoko's next birthday and show him how it was done. Of course, that would mean spending time alone with the British detective, which was _not_ appealing.

Kaito pulled out the card, which was in the shape of a clover, so at least there was that. He blinked at it, perplexed. He could tell there wasn't money in it because of the shape of the card. Did Hakuba seriously only get him a card? A tick started to develop in his forehead. The detective was in for a nasty surprise if this was really all he got him. He'd been needing a test dummy for his latest pranks and it looked like Hakuba was volunteering. Kaito opened the card, still irritated. Only to laugh when he saw who signed it.

The entire KID Taskforce had signed the birthday card. Hakuba must have brought it to the station and passed it around. It wasn't specifically addressed to Kaito so it really did look like the taskforce was wishing KID a happy birthday. It seemed like Hakuba's humor had at least improved in the time he'd known him. Kaito glanced at the right side of the card, where a small post-it said 'the real present is under here'. Kaito removed the post-it and his laughter died, and was replaced with a soft expression.

 _Happy birthday, nii-san_

 _From, Edogawa Conan_

Kaito touched the ink and wondered how he would explain to the class that Hakuba Saguru's card beat them all?

* * *

 **Kaito told the class that he didn't want to admit who won, but it was a good enough present that the entire class got a week off from pranks. It was very exciting, there was a party that was even better than Kaito's party, and Kaito had to try very hard to ignore Hakuba's smug expression.**

 **The card is now framed in the KID Cave.**

 **Also, Hakuba got the entire taskforce to sign the card, not because his humor is any better, but because he couldn't think of another way to get Conan to sign the card without being weird. (Like "my friend is a fan of your's" sounded weird to him and he was really worried about being weird with his detective literature buddy.)**


	20. Feels Like Walking on Air

**Assuming that you have seen or read Kaitou KID's Miraculous Walk. If not, you may want to review it. Episode 356, chapter 453**

 **For the record, I update on AO3 also. I just am better organized over there, so it might be harder to find. I don't like having all of the bonus chapters in the same story. But it is easier on this site to be all in one. By the way, I've also been working seven days a week, and I think I'm about to pass out.**

* * *

"Jii-chan! Jii-chan, did you see this?!" Kaito burst into Jii-chan's workshop. He was waving a tablet. "Suzuki Jirokichi has challenged KID!"

"I saw, botchama." The old man nodded at the newspaper unfolded on the table. "I've spent most of the day gathering information about his defenses." He glanced at him. "It's decent, but not impregnable."

"We need something _good_ for this one!" Kaito darted forward and started combing over his notes. "Something that will blow him away!" Jii-chan smiled fondly at Kaito.

"Remember, botchama, don't get so excited about the challenge that you forget about the gem. It won't be difficult for you to astound Suzuki Jirokichi." He reminded him.

"What?" Kaito glanced at him in confusion. Then his expression cleared. "Oh, right. The old guy who challenged me." Jii-chan frowned.

"To whom were you referring?" He asked.

"Tantei-kun!" Kaito pulled out the schematics for the museum renovations and studied them. Jii-chan choked.

"Edogawa Conan's coming to this heist?" He gaped at Kaito. "How do you know?"

"Because Suzuki _Sonoko_ is Mouri Ran's best friend!" Kaito distractedly answered. Jii-chan stared at the young magician. Why were all of the Kurobas like this? The young Kuroba seemed more excited about his youngest rival's attendance than Toichi was about Kudo Yuusaku challenging him. "Jii-chan, do you have a solid identity with a helicopter license in place?" Kaito asked distractedly, tucking his pencil behind his ear.

"No, but I can borrow someone's." Jii-chan sighed in resignation. "There's a former Japanese Self-Defense Force pilot who keeps his license up-to-date. He's touring India right now, so it won't interfere with his life much if I masquerade as him."

"Excellent. I've got an idea for this one." Kaito started muttering to himself. "No riddle for this one; the trick is the main show… But he'll be disappointed if there's nothing to occupy him leading up to the trick… I can add a little hint to the advanced notice, that should satisfy him." Jii-chan shook his head in a combination of fondness and exasperation. Then he took out a laptop and began to adjust documents accordingly while waiting to hear Kaito's master plan.

_|_|_  
.^_O~

"Are we good, Jii-chan?" Kaito muttered, banking heavily to vanish behind a building. He dropped down to the roof and began to run so he could prepare the trick. If there was one thing that he regret about all of this it was that he couldn't be close enough to his audience to actually _see_ his Tantei-kun. But that wasn't what this show was about. This show was to impress him.

Kaito threw the black cover over his white suit and leapt between the buildings trailing cords behind him. Once he was attached to the helicopter Jii-chan was piloting he dropped the smoke screen and removed the black covering, hiding it away. Kaito beamed at the audience as the excited cheering swelled. He appeared to be floating in thin air. Kaito's grin widened as he looked down at the crowd. Conan was down there somewhere. Time to show off.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" He cried throwing his arms wide. The spotlights from the helicopters were on him. He couldn't ask for a better venue. "Welcome to the preview before the show." KID adjusted his hat. "I hope that you enjoy the wonder I've created for you." With that, Kaitou KID took his first step midair. Then another, walking casually along the air, his footsteps echoing loudly (through the speakers that Kaito and Jii-chan had planted). KID reveled in the surprised gasps and cheers that surrounded him. Perhaps Conan was among those astonished by his man-made miracle. The spotlights followed him as KID approached the Blue Wonder mounted on the roof of the museum.

Kaitou KID heard the clack of the failsafe. He smirked. Perfect. Now he could see it in acti- KID turned his head at the familiar sparking in the corner of his eye. Conan was kneeling, hands on his sneakers. He was almost swallowed up by the crowd but Kaito's eyes were drawn instantly to him. He completely missed the Blue Wonder being pulled back into the museum. It was irrelevant. He'd made his point walking towards it by air. He'd seen his soul mate. His night was complete. Good thing too, since that sparking signaled a rather abrupt and painful end to his evening unless he left before that soccer ball came rocketing towards him.

"That's enough for today." KID announced with a grin. "Let's meet tomorrow evening at the same place." KID released another smoke bomb and replaced the black cover and pulled himself up out of the spotlights. He was focused on his task. But one eye remained on Conan. The boy released his shoes and straightened. That intense gaze still searching for KID. Kaito felt giddy. Conan hadn't figured it out! That _had_ to mean he was impressed, right?

_|_|_  
.^_O~

Kaitou KID had to admit. He quite liked Suzuki's motorcycle. It was a lot more compact than the KIDmobile in the KID Cave. It would have been nice to feel the wind on his face, but the latex mask prevented that from happening. Suzuki Jirokichi wouldn't be happy when he woke up to find that the heist was over, and KID had won while disguised as him. KID's smile was covered by his Jirokichi persona as he talked to the reporters, promising a great show for the night. He loved double meanings, he was glad that it was something along the same lines of what Jirokichi would say.

KID easily made his way to the van where Jirokichi was recording the heist. No one stopped _the_ Suzuki Jirokichi or questioned his presence. It was almost _too_ easy. KID stood and observed all of the screens. All his fans, eagerly awaiting his arrival, but there was no sign of a certain child critic. KID frowned. He _had_ to have come, right? He wouldn't just come for the preview and ignore the show. Right?

"Suzuki-no-jiisan!" KID almost jumped as the door behind him opened.

"Eh?" He turned. Conan stepped up into the van. "C- Conan-kun?" He swallowed, and pulled Jirokichi up around him again. His disguise had to be flawless. "What are you doing here?"

"Mouri-occhan wanted me to look at the footage from yesterday again." Conan explained.

"But you saw it over and over again last night, boy." One of the technicians said. KID didn't let himself smile. Conan watched his show repeatedly. KID was touched. More importantly, the fact he wanted to see it again probably meant that the boy hadn't figured out his trick yet. KID felt like gloating about that.

"Sorry, we already sent it down to the production staff for Suzuki-sama's documentary."

"Huh?" KID was torn between amusement and concern at Conan's disappointment.

"Let the boy see the footage." Nakamori-keibu ordered as he walked in. "You'll have to turn it over to the police eventually anyway." Nakamori-keibu stood beside Conan looking up at the screens. "It's the first time that KID's been caught on film casing a target site." Conan looked thoughtful. As the countdown began, Jirokichi (KID) laughed, and proclaimed there was no way that KID would show up. That a magician would never allow the audience to be so close to him before his arrival. So he was building himself up in front of Conan. So what? It made it all the more impressive when KID (or rather the dummy of KID) appeared in the burst of smoke to the cheers of the crowd.

No sooner had "KID" made his dramatic appearance, than the rain started. The real KID swallowed under Jirokichi's mask. They hadn't planned for that. He was grateful that Jii-chan could think on his feet. The video from helicopter 7 cut out, so that the doctored video hiding the wires wasn't instantly obvious. "KID has an assistant?" Conan asked in surprise. KID blinked. Did Conan know that? He went over all of their interactions in his mind. Now that he thought about it, Jii-chan and Conan had never met.

Nakamori was shouting into his radio. KID could practically see the gears turning in Conan's head. KID worried that he had just put it together. He ordered the Blue Wonder to be brought it, thankfully Jii-chan's helicopter and the dummy were close enough to make it believable.

"We've moved the Blue Wonder inside, sir." The technician reported.

"Then the next move is mine." Jirokichi (KID) declared. "Turn out all of the lights in the museum."

"Turn out the lights?" The technician repeated in confusion.

"Yes, I think he might be intercepting our camera feeds." Jirokichi (KID) explained.

"It will leave you without security footage." Nakamori growled. "Breaking in would be a cakewalk for him."

"Do you have a better idea?" Jirokichi (KID) demanded. "Do you have any idea how to stop a master thief who can walk on air like a wizard?!"

"But what good will it do to store the museum in a darkened museum?" Nakamori shot back.

"The point is to stop KID from stealing it. If he can't get his hands on the Blue Wonder _I win_." KID tried not to smirk too much. "I thought of the perfect plan to do it last night." Jirokichi grinned and left the van.

It was perfect. The guards literally handed "Jirokichi Suzuki" the Blue Wonder while they took the decoy. Though he did have to make them hang up on Nakamori, with the excuse of KID tapping the phone, before they could tell him the plan. Nakamori wouldn't let the Blue Wonder fall into a single person's hands. He knew better than that. Just as his pursuers were realizing that the KID floating above them all "walking" towards the museum was a dummy, "Jirokichi" was putting the Blue Wonder in the sidecar and driving away. Jii-chan caused the dummy to vanish in the usual smoke screen. The Taskforce was in chaos.

The heist was over, Kaitou KID had won. He glanced down at the Blue Wonder and started to laugh. The real Jirokichi Suzuki would be apoplectic when he found out what had happened. And Conan, KID's laughter grew. Conan hadn't figured out his trick!

"What's so funny, Kaitou KID-san?" Kaito choked on his laughter. Conan sat up, adjusting the Blue Wonder on his lap. Two thoughts occurred to Kaito at the same time. The first was, _Crap, he figured it out._ The second was, _Since he snuck into_ _my_ _motorcycle, would it still be kidnapping if I just kept driving?_ Kaito quickly shook it off.

"What do you mean, boy? I'm laughing because I kept the gem from KID." He bluffed. He couldn't help noticing that the blue of Conan's eyes was far more captivating than the massive jewel held in the statue's hand. The true Blue Wonder were the glittering, intelligent orbs staring smugly up at him.

"Come on! I knew who you were the moment you showed up at the museum." Conan scoffed. "You messed up on your disguise KID. Jirokichi Suzuki wears contacts. It is painful for people with contacts to ride on motorcycles without goggles."

KID began their usual banter. Offering reasons that he couldn't be Kaitou KID while Conan skillfully pulled apart the trick and disguise with his deductions. "If the helicopter above you was flown by your partner," Ah, so that _had_ been the clue Conan needed. "The miracle becomes _just a magic trick_." KID tried not to be insulted by that. He mostly failed, but he didn't let it show through his poker face. Still, he listened carefully, if he listened to Conan's deduction this time it will give him more information to fool his little soul mate next time. Not that it was a hardship to listen to Conan's deduction. It was almost as if Conan was praising him at times. Until the end, when Conan dramatically finished. "You got forgetful. I clearly saw you on TV without your goggles."

"No." KID defended himself. "I didn't forget the goggles." KID pulled the goggles down the demonstrate. "I just couldn't wear them..." He tore of his mask. "Without messing up my disguise." Conan instantly opened his tranquilizing watch. Kaito wanted to pout. Was that seriously going to be his reaction every time they met?

"Are you sure about this?" Conan smirked. "Your accomplice will be caught as soon as he lands."

"I doubt it." KID laughed. "They will be too busy chasing all of the number 7s." A look of confusion passed over Conan's face. It was adorable, but cleared quickly.

"I see, you changed all of the numbers to 7 and then pasted the original numbers on top so that they would blow away in the wind." Conan had been grinning faintly throughout the entire deduction. KID smiled back, but tried to keep his eyes on the road.

"And in the chaos my assistant will escape into the blue yonder." He gloated. "By the grace of the Blue Wonder."

"The Blue Wonder represents the _sea_ not the sky." Conan argued.

"It's the same thing! The blue of the sea reflects the blue of the sky, right?" Kaito was struck by inspiration. "It's the same with thieves and detectives." He smiled. "We seem like opposites but we are both just nosy jerks who can't help prying in to other people's secrets."

"Don't be a fool." Conan lost his smile. "The sea and sky are blue because of the refraction of light. They're different in everyway, don't mix them up!" The boy was looking annoyed at this point. "Puddles aren't blue!" Kaito was almost instantly grumpy. His beautiful metaphor had been thrown back in his face.

"You've got no imagination." He muttered without heat. "Don't you ever dream?"

"Chasing dreams won't uncover the truth." Conan snapped as grumpily as Kaito. KID didn't like how this conversation was going, so he changed the subject.

"Are you really going to shoot me with that tranquilizer dart? If I fall asleep we'll crash." Not that he would actually allow himself to crash the motorcycle with Conan beside him.

"I won't shoot until the motorcycle stops." Conan assured him. "I've already called Nakamori to pick us up." Sounded like it was time to wrap up.

"You know, Jirokichi added an interesting feature to this bike." KID commented.

That adorably confused expression returned to Conan's face. "Eh?"

KID grinned menacingly down at him. "A way to get rid of excess weight." Dawning realization passed over Conan's face as he released the sidecar. Kaito almost had a heart attack when the sidecar tilted and spun out. Did Jirokichi seriously forget to attach additional wheels to the sidecar?! KID turned and skidded to a stop in time to see Conan gain some semblance of control over the sidecar. Sparks flew from where the metal connected to the road. KID breathed a sigh of relief.

"Goodbye, tantei-kun!" He called. "I didn't really want the gem." His smile softened ever so slightly. "I just wanted another duel with you."

"Jerk!" Conan shouted after him, steering the sidecar as best he could. Kaito blinked as the road between the caught fire from the sparks.

"Huh?" KID glanced down. _He cut my fuel line!_ He turned and raced away. But could not outrun the flames. He glanced around. There! He ran the motorcycle off the road, leaped from the bike and released the decoy dummy that flew high in the sky just as the fire reached him and caused the motorcycle to explode. Kaito escaped singed, and slightly grumpy but oddly pleased.

The next day he had a new front page picture of Conan to add to his scrapbook. At least he wouldn't have to look for Nakamori's approval. Kaito thought, practically beaming down at the picture of Nakamori ruffling Conan's hair. As he looked at the photo he decided that the entire experience was worth almost getting blown up.

* * *

 **Orika~ You're awesome. Thanks so much for all of the reviews!**

 **Guest who realized the emoji was KID. YES! I've had so much trouble with this site because it won't show up as well! (You can see it better on AO3.) I'm glad that you liked it!**

 **zXFallenAngelsXz ~ Yay! You hit on all of _my_ favorite parts of writing it too! When I do end up posting a story called Manipulations of the Heart, you should read it. You'll _love_ the friendships in that one!**


	21. Treasure Hunt

**Starting the Big Adventure in the Eccentric Mansion!**

 **Anime Ep 394-396**  
 **Chapters 475-478 (Volume 46)**

* * *

Despite common belief (and most evidence) to the contrary, Kaito _could_ actually be considerate. Which was why he was trying very hard to avoid having a heist on Nakamori Ginzo's birthday. It was one of the few times a year the man actually took time off and went on a family trip with Aoko (since it was summer she was guaranteed to have school off). But Kaito couldn't just lay low for a month before the big trip, and he knew any activity would make Nakamori-keibu think about staying home and make Aoko angry, so he decided it was the perfect time to chase down the more unusual stones; the ones that were more urban legend than fact. It was something he could do without breaking out the KID persona.

The first few stones were just that, legend. But, when he began investigating Sanzui Kichiemon's Nio Stone, he actually found something promising; or at least, people willing to go too far because _they_ believed it. Tamai Teruhisa was one such man. Kaito first encountered him roughing up an old man. Frankly, the treasure hunter looked a bit scrawny to engage in such behavior, but clearly he had experience. He didn't just attack the old man; he used a bat on his displays and goods, things that would hit the shopkeeper financially.

Kaito might have over reacted. He'd sworn to lay off KID, but he wanted to make sure that Tamai never went near the old man again. "What the?!" Tamai cried, flinching away from explosion of pink smoke that erupted on one side of him. Then stared in astonishment at the man who had appeared there.

"Hey," Kaito had changed into a white button down shirt, and blue vest and pants. Most important was a casual white top hat that was significantly shorter than his usual one, yet still looked natural. His monocle gleamed under its brim. "It's not nice to bully old men."

"Who the hel-" The man began, but cut himself off with a yelp as doves exploded from under his jacket.

"You should stop looking for the diamond." KID stated coldly as the birds began to flap about the man's head, disorienting him more than doing him any harm. "After all," KID spread his arms, calling the doves to perch on him. "It's not as if you will be able to defeat Kaitou KID." He smirked dangerously. Tamai gaped at him and stumbled out of the shop. KID only let him go because the stink bomb that his favorite bird had planted in Tamai's pocket could go off at any moment, and he didn't think that the storeowner would appreciate the unpleasant aroma (that he'd designed specifically for a blond detective with possible OCD) lingering around his shop.

The old man was incredibly grateful. He happily gave Kaito the information that Tamai had been so harsh in extracting. He even gave the thief a few contacts to make chasing down the stone easier. Unfortunately, the closer that Kaito got, the more competition that he had. Tamai hadn't backed off either, despite Kaito going out of his way to trip the man up.

Still it was no surprise that Kaito was first to reach the ramshackle mansion that he'd become convinced the stone was located in. Kaito moved through the ingenious maze of a house searching for clues to the riddle created by Samizu Kichiemon (a man who was rapidly gaining Kaito's hearty respect). Kaito ultimately found himself out on the front again, in front of the pond eyeing the water dubiously. This was… an old… _koi_ pond… Kaito shuddered. It was one gem that he was almost inclined to leave where it was, but with so many people after it, it was best that he got it. Though what he'd do with it if it weren't Pandora was anyone's guess. Not like there was an owner he could return it to.

Kaito moved towards the water. He braced himself and jumped~! Only to catch himself last second at the edge of the lake. This was stupid! It's not like there were actually fi- fish in there! The pond was way too old! Surely any aquatic creatures would have died out ages ago- There was a splash and Kaito glanced up to see something moving just under the surface.

"Nope." He said, turning around. "Nope, nope, nope." Maybe Jii-chan would- Kaito's foot caught on one of the rocks and he promptly fell in the water with a high-pitched scream.

Kaito's eyes snapped open under the water, instantly staring around him in terror for the monster. He scrabbled at the floor, his hands only finding muck and mud, until one of them closed around something solid under the grime that almost seemed to click when pulled out of place. Something touched his shoulder and Kaito launched himself off of the lake floor in a blind panic. The second Kaito surfaced he darted out of the water and up on to the highest boulder he could reach. He looked behind him anxiously, as if the creatures dwelling in the water could somehow follow him. (He'd had nightmares the first time he heard of "flying fish".) Kaito breathed a sigh of relief and looked down… to find a mud-smudged gem sparkling in his hand. Kaito gaped at it a moment, unable to believe his luck, then he beamed. "Oh yeah!" He shouted, punching the air with the hand gripping the diamond. He'd figure out what to do with it once he'd checked it under the moonlight (assuming it wasn't Pandora) there was _no way_ he was going back in that _vermin infested_ lake again!

Kaito became aware of a strange sound… It was almost as if gears were shifting. Abruptly water started pouring out of the house. Kaito yelped. In a brief moment of panic his only thoughts were _The pond is rising! The fish are coming!_ He darted up a tree. What was happening? Unless, he glanced at the diamond in his hand, this was another trap. Kaito had to laugh at the possessive old geezer. It seemed that Samizu Kichiemon wasn't even willing to relinquish his diamond in death; not even to someone who had solved his riddle. But what to do? The water was raising like mad. It almost seemed as if there was enough to wash away the entire hillside. He had no idea where all of this water was coming from, but given the rest of Samizu Kichiemon's traps, he knew that the water wasn't likely to stop until the diamond was returned. Kaito glanced apprehensively down at the water and set his jaw. He had to put it back.

Kaito took a deep breath and dove into the murky depths. _Just think about something else._ He thought desperately as he swam to the bottom and started looking for the mechanism that he'd found it in. _Think about pranking Hakuba or avoiding Aoko's mop._ Kaito flinched violently and whipped around. There was nothing there, just his imagination conjuring up finned monsters. Kaito was quickly running out of air. He forced himself to keep looking. Surely something could distract him from the possibility of those horrible things; _a flash of light off glasses, a smug smirk, only to be replaced by childishly innocent eyes when around others._ Kaito calmed and almost immediately spotted the device, almost entirely buried in the mud. He slotted the diamond into place and kicked his way to the surface. Kaito gasped as he hit the air, and clambered out of the water into the branches of a tree. He surveyed the area. The water wasn't too high yet, and it looked as if it were going back down. It was a good thing he'd acted so quickly. But… He hadn't been able to check the diamond under moonlight.

Kaito ground his teeth in frustration. He'd have to figure something out. He was certainly going to need Jii-chan's help (he never wanted to go near that pond again). But for now, he had to find a way to deter fellow treasure hunters. Kaito began to plan. He'd have to repair all of the traps. Some of them weren't looking too good, and he'd disabled a good many while he was making his way through the mansion. (That room with the swinging blades was seriously dangerous!) He could stick a note behind the waterfall in case anyone made it to the last stage of the hunt as he did; even if it did mean crossing that horrific lake again.

As soon as the water level had fallen to little more than drenched soil (Kaito was _not_ going to risk even an inch of water that finned horrors might be lurking in) Kaito busied himself with the repairs, setting everything right again, and even improving the rigging with modern materials (though he didn't dare mess with the artistry of the actual mechanisms). It was the afternoon when the first of the other treasure hunters arrived. Kaito easily avoided them and continued setting his traps.

Suddenly there was a loud splash from outside, followed by another, then another. Kaito frowned and made his way to a window… Someone was pushing the stone lanterns into the lake. He couldn't tell who it was. They vanished into the trees as the last lantern vanished in a splash of water.

Well, that was… weird. Kaito turned away and began to tinker with the mechanics again.

* * *

_|_|_  
.^_O~

Several hours later, Kaito heard young voices outside. He mentally groaned. He could not risk _children_ stumbling on this house! He'd have to divert them somehow. Kaito made his way downstairs, the voices still indiscernible but growing clearer, until one of them shouted "Look! It's a carp!" Kaito fell down the stairs and briefly blacked out.

When he came to, privately embarrassed and blaming his lapse firmly on the repeated exposure to _fish_ , Kaito hurried to the window. He breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed that they were still outside. They had successfully managed to lug part of a stone lanterns out of the pond. Their conversation was still hard to hear, as they seemed to be surrounding the stone, examining it. There were three of them: a rather large boy who was absolutely drenched indicating he was the one who went in the pond; a tally lanky boy who seemed positively fascinated with something written on the stone; and a little girl with a headband, who seemed interested in the stone when she wasn't chiding the larger boy. The girl made a suggestion, and the boys seemed to agree with her (it was clear who the leader of that little group was). The kids ran off, grinning.

Kaito breathed a small sigh of relief that he didn't have to chase them off himself. He should have known better than to tempt fate. He heard them return rather quickly. It sounded as if they had gone to get friends. Kaito groaned. Just great, more people he had to protect. Kaito made his way down the steps. One of the kids was speaking. Somehow, it lifted his mood.

He shouldn't have been surprised when he saw Conan kneeling next to the carved stone. His face broke into a wide, genuine smile, he ducked into a more shadowed doorway. Kaito gazed at his soulmate fondly, then forcibly turned his eyes to the others. So, these were Conan's friends? He vaguely recognized them from the first time he was investigating Conan now that he knew the connection; though the serious girl with light brown hair was new. Kaito leaned forward more closely, as if that could help him hear them better.

"The stone this writing describes is a Nio Stone." Conan said with a grin. "It translates to 'King of Gems', a _diamond_." The other children lit up. Even the serious girl dawned a small smile.

"Diamonds were first imported to Japan at the end of the Edo Period." She informed the others. "So the timing is right." Kaito's stomach dropped, and he tried not to groan. They were going to look for the treasure. Conan was going to look for the treasure. So many things could go wrong here. The traps… the treasure hunters… the fish… the- why was the old man going back into the water?

Kaito gagged and very nearly vomited as the old man dragged a body out of the pond.

* * *

 **I have been... so busy. I work 5 days a week, volunteer one, and I _accidentally_ joined the planning committee of the Literary Festival. (On that note, what would _you_ like to see from a FanFic panel/discussion at a Literary Festival?)**

 **Anyway, I _finally_ got a few days off, and though this chapter is kinda short, I thought you really deserved the update. **

**Also, I just started posting my favorite story to write, Manipulations of the Heart. I _highly_ recommend it. It's totally platonic, but shippers will probably like it. **

**A few people have been asking if I will do the movies. The answer is... kinda... but not really. I don't love the way that Kaito discovers Conan's identity in the movies, so I'll be rewriting that (I might draw inspiration from the movies to do it, I'm undecided right now). Kaito will probably learn around the time of The Strongest Safe and The Kiran's Horn. And since all movies take place after Kaito knows Conan=Shinichi Kudo, any possibility rewriting the movies would have to come after that. So we are still a ways off.**

 **Meitantei-Clark: Toichi and Yuusake aren't soulmates. Toichi and Chiikage were. Sorry, but I think that Kaito needs a strong romantic soulmate pairing to look up to for his desire for a romantic soul bond, and Toichi and Chiikage make the most sense (also... there aren't enough other characters in MK to pick someone else). I am tempted to make it so that Yuusake actually hasn't met his soul mate yet, while Yukiko's was maybe Sharon? Not sure yet. I just know that Yuusake and Yukiko aren't soul mates, but they are perfect for each other, which is why Shinichi finds the soul mate thing mildly ridiculous.**

 **Jeager's Paradise: You are right about the movies, and I might pull some scenes from them. But, you know,** **_that_ scene in Movie 14? I'd definitely have to do that if I did the movies, and I'm not sure if I'm comfortable writing something that ****explicit. Sorry. But my trademark is pretty clean, and if I were rewriting the scene the reason that Kaito didn't help Conan out and stayed on the top of the blimp would have been because he had a little _problem_. That's not what I think actually happened, but it's the only reason that it makes sense for _this_ Kaito not to go with Conan in such a dangerous situation.**

 **Guest: It's not intended to be a complicated love quadrangle. Kaito 3 Conan. Conan 3 Ran. The other relationships are purely platonic. Though they are close friends. and the Hattori soul mate thing _will_ drive Kaito up the wall. I hope that's acceptable. **

**Orika: The Gosho boys do really follow a pattern. Like father like son. I played with an idea regarding _their_ kids that was kinda different. But still the same. It's mildly interesting. If you ever want to hear it. **


	22. Tripping the Traps

**I'm baAAaaack! Yeah, what a crazy couple months, but now I should have so much more time for everything. ^_^**

 **And there is a kinda big announcement/question at the end notes you'll want to weigh in on. So don't forget those.**

 **Once again, might want to review this arc before reading. But it's up to you. I got a bit lazy on retyping dialogue because Conan makes a** _ **lot**_ **of deductions that Kaito figured out before this even started.**

* * *

When Kaito recovered he was surprised and concerned to see that not one of the children had taken the abrupt and upsetting appearance of a dead body as badly as he had. As usual, Conan was investigating the body, unperturbed and analytical. Kaito frowned. He still wasn't happy about Conan's clear familiarity with murder. Conan moved away from the head, holding an ID card, and Kaito did a double take. Oh god… It was Tamai. Kaito felt sick all over again.

He hadn't liked Tamai. Heck, he had even threatened the guy. But to see him lying on the ground, clearly dead, was jarring. Kaito was pulled from his thoughts by the old man running off. Conan had just ordered him to go for the police. Kaito stared warily at the group of children. What was that old man thinking leaving them without adult supervision? Kaito moved closer to the window, trying to convince himself that Conan was smart enough to stay away from the house where a killer might be lurking. He didn't quite succeed. He strained his ears; trying to hear what they were saying.

"Be serious guys! The murderer might still be nearby!" Conan suddenly shouted at the children. "Do you want to get killed?!" Kaito nearly wilted in relief. Apparently, his soulmate's desire to protect his friends was greater than the draw of the mystery. "We don't even know who the victim is!"

"Looks like a treasure hunter to me." The mature brown haired girl said, flipping through a small book. Kaito leaned forward; barely able to hear her. She began reading from the book. Kaito stiffened at the mention of a partner. Was that who killed him? Someone who he'd recruited to stop Kaito? Despite his thoughts, Kaito didn't miss the look of surprise on Conan's face. When Conan's comprehension turned into a smile, Kaito couldn't suppress a slight grin of his own.

"I see," the brown haired girl chuckled. "We're about to witness a diamond cutting a diamond."

"What's that mean?" The little girl with the headband asked.

"It's a Belgian proverb." She explained. "Diamonds are so hard that only another diamond can cut one." Ooo, Kaito quite liked the phrase. It expressed his relationship with the tiny detective so well.

"Who is the other diamond?" The lanky boy asked, glancing at Conan.

"I wouldn't call either of us a _diamond_." The glare on Conan's glasses hid his eyes but not his smirk. "He's a petty thief who hides behind lies… and I'm just a detective who can't wait to unveil him." Kaito made a face at him. He liked the girl's description better.

Kaito wasn't surprised when Conan revealed to the children that _the_ Kaitou KID was involved. He positively preened at how impressed they were with him. Even the brown haired girl seemed impressed, though she was more interested in ribbing Conan in his failures where the thief was concerned. As for the other children, the reactions were mixed. The girl with the headband seemed excited that KID might be around. But the boys had the gall to suggest that _KID_ might actually be responsible. Kaito bristled in indignation as Conan shrugged with a simple "I dunno. Supposedly he never kills." Surely his soulmate knew him better than _that_!

"Anyway, it's starting to rain. Let's duck inside that old house." Conan grinned. "We'll just poke around a bit until Agasa arrives with the police." Kaito settled down, vindicated. There was no way that Conan would lead his little friends in the house unless he was sure KID wasn't the killer. He wouldn't risk the children like tha- Wait.

Conan was coming into the house. The house full of lethal traps that Kaito had spent the past few hours repairing. The house with a _killer_ on the loose. Kaito swore.

This was not good.

_|_|_  
.^_O~

Kaito ran towards the entrance but heard another's footsteps. _The killer_ , he thought, and slowed, slipping into the shadows.

"I can't wait that long!" The doors burst open to accompany the large boy's voice.

"Genta! Wait!" Conan's voice was alarmed. Kaito moved rapidly towards the front hall.

"The diamond is hidden in the place closest to the sun, right? So it must be upstairs!" Genta proclaimed. _Not the stairs!_ Kaito's mind practically shouted even as Conan yelled at his friend.

"The house could be booby trapped!" But it was too late. Kaito heard the flattening of the stairs and Genta's cry as he fell towards the skulls that Kaito had planted himself (for dramatic effect) while repairing the hinges on the trapdoor. But abruptly the boy's scream and his friends' cries were cut off. As Kaito darted into the room he spotted a large man holding Genta above the chasm and place him on the solid ground. Kaito quickly ducked back into the other room.

Kaito had recognized the man who saved Genta. His name was Suto Unzo. Unlike Tamai, Unzo had a good reputation in the treasure hunting community. He generally dealt with museums instead of black market buys; and if he found an item on someone's property he made an effort to cut the owners in for a 'reasonable' percentage.

Kaito listened closely to the children. To his relief, it seemed that Conan didn't fully trust the man but was going to stick with him. Kaito was confident in Unzo's ability to avoid most of the traps; and the ones he didn't avoid, he'd warn Conan and his friends by triggering himself. Kaito was loathed to leave his soulmate and four children with a possible murderer, but he was confident that Unzo wouldn't harm them, at least not yet, and it would give him the time he needed to throw together a decent disguise. His hand tightened on the wall separating him and his soulmate as the small group moved deeper into the house. _I'll see you soon._ He silently promised him, then slipped away.

Kaito put together a disguise of an old woman. Not the best look for interacting with the future love of his life, but it was fast and easy, which was a great deal more important. Just as he was finishing the last touches on his mask and clothing, he heard Conan's shout from above him.

"DON'T IT'S A TRAP!" Kaito raced down the stairs as he heard children screaming. If the shout came from above then the trap would lead them below. Kaito was in the basement in less then a minute, but he didn't see anyone around him. The kids should have fallen somewhere here. He glanced up at the chute and saw a giant soccer ball patterned plug. He smiled. He was never going to complain about that stupid belt again. (Well, no, he'd complain about it plenty, but he wouldn't be depriving Conan of it anytime soon.)

Kaito moved past the skeletons littering the floor. (Most of them were plaster. Sanzui Kichiemon really did have a sick sense of humor. Kaito couldn't decide if he liked it or not.) He settled on a far wall. Sure enough the children fell the rest of the way down moments later. Unzo and a woman came down on a rope behind them.

"This place is full of skeletons!" Genta cried.

"Probably former treasure hunters." Unzo commented, examining their clothing.

"Even this wrinkly old man?" The little girl, Ayumi, he remembered, asked nervously. Kaito was insulted. He was clearly a woman!

"I'm not an old man." He growled, opening his eyes. "I'm an old woman!" Ayumi shrieked and grabbed Conan's arm. Kaito had to wonder what was wrong with her that a dead body didn't frighten her but a live one did. Conan seemed entirely unfazed. Kaito yawned. "At least I got a little nap…"

"Another rival?" The attractive woman sized Kaito up.

"Eh?"

"You're a treasure hunter too, aren't you?" Unzo asked.

"I'm not here for any games." Kaito denied. "I'm here to pay my respects to the grave."

"Grave?" Conan inquired intensely.

"The grave of Sanzui Kichiemon." Kaito nodded to the old weathered stone.

"Is this some kind of code?" The woman, who was introduced as Akutasu Sarina, demanded.

"Is it? I thought it was Sanzui Kichiemon's grave." Kaito shrugged. The children, adorably, started to wonder if they should make an offering to the grave. Maybe they weren't so bad.

Conan had that contemplative look back on his face before he turned to Unzo and assumed a childish demeanor. "Hey! A while ago you asked if we found something outside." The man seemed caught off guard. "Does that mean _you_ found something too? Because we did find a strange object outside."

"Conan, what are you doing?"

"You said it was secret!" The other boys protested in confusion. But Unzo spoke over them both.

"What did you say?!" He demanded. He seized Conan by the shoulders, and Kaito tensed with the desire to wrench him away from the boy. "There was a kanji engraved on it, right?!"

"So you _did_ find one?" Conan pressured him with a childish smile. Unzo looked suddenly hesitant.

"Uh, um…" He began, pulling away from Conan. Kaito relaxed slightly.

"At a time like this, is it really in your best interest to play coy?" The brown haired girl challenged him calmly, with a maturity that seemed beyond her years.

"Come on, you don't want to be the odd one out, show us what you've got." The beautiful woman goaded him. Unzo tsked.

"Fine, Akutsu-san." He muttered. He dug though his bag. "The thing that I found was this stone mirror." He held up a circular mirror with the kanji character eternal. The kids examined it closely, making theories, and talking to each other. It was cute.

"So you must have found the stone engraved with the kanji for flame." The woman, Akutsu, deduced.

"Bingo." Conan smiled at her and produced the teardrop shaped stone. Kaito stiffened. That was the same smile he showed Kaito when he'd worked out who was KID. But he couldn't have. He wasn't even looking at Kaito. He was looking at Akutsu.

The children and Unzo continued debating the meaning of the riddles. Kaito found himself quite impressed by them. Clearly his young soul mate was rubbing off on his friends. Kaito started tossing the occasional hint out at them, as befitting the mysterious old woman character he was playing. Of course, that led them to correctly deducing the existence of the third artifact, the sword, even without Conan's help. Which made them as excited to find the sword as they had been to find the diamond.

"Maybe the kanji engraved on the sword will give us a clue." Akutsu mused.

"Maybe instead of worrying about the treasure we should start looking for a way out of here." Kaito suggested, annoyed. Seriously, she was an adult, there were five children in a house full of lethal traps. If she didn't care about herself she could at least be a _little_ concerned about them! Unzo agreed to lead them out.

As they walked Kaito noticed some of the water continuing to drain in the basement of the house from his earlier removal of the diamond, he didn't think anyone else thought much of it. He did joke that the Nio Stone might be angry, but it was taken as the laughter of a crazy old woman. The children continued their conversation about the notebook that they had found on Tamai's body and the clues it contained. Kaito found himself growing impressed by them every step of the way. Had he been this smart when he was a kid? Probably. But- his thoughts were cut off by the sound of the gushing waterfalls that fed the hot spring. Ah, they were almost out. Kaito almost relaxed. Once they left, he'd make an excuse to escort the children to their campsite, or wherever they had come from, and away from the danger. He-

"Hey little rascal! That's not the way out!" Kaito literally interrupted his own thoughts calling after Conan. Conan was walking away from the group at the exit. Kaito's heart plummeted. Towards the room with the sword clue… and the deadly swinging blade. "Get back here, boy!" He shouted. Conan didn't even look back. The other children ran past Kaito, following their fearless leader before Kaito could stop them. No! Bad, bad, very bad! Kaito scrambled after them. Unzo right on his heels.

He was relieved that Conan did not continue straight into the trap. Instead, he stopped, and began leading his friends through his deduction. It was almost as if he were teaching them to be detectives themselves. In no time, Conan had, predictably, revealed the hidden entrance to the room. But before the large boy, Genta, could walk straight into the trap _again_ Kaito shoved him aside.

"Outta my way!" He raced down the tunnel, matching the breathing and gait of an old woman. He had to warn them about the trap. And the only way to do that without revealing that he'd already been there… was to trip it himself. Unzo shouted after him, but Kaito was too focused on timing his steps while maintaining his mask of an old woman.

Kaito heard the falling blades before he saw them. Expertly he dodged and ducked the blades, but made his escape look like an accident as he tripped, fell, and finally stumbled backwards to safety beside the others. "Oh." He panted, feigning shock.

"So you were after the treasure, old woman." Akutsu smugly commented.

"What an ugly trap." Haibara stared out at the room. "The moment someone steps on the floor, they'll be sliced to shreds."

"Guess he really didn't want anyone to get that sword." Genta swallowed shakily.

"It's actually kinda beautiful." Conan said. Kaito glanced at him from where he was sitting… too far away to do anything when the foolish boy stepped on the floor.

Kaito couldn't breath.

"The blades attack from all sides." Conan continued. Once more, Kaito heard the blades before he saw them. "And are locked back into place again."

Kaito watched in horror, powerless, as four massive razor sharp blades came bearing down on his soulmate.

* * *

 **Special Announcement!**  
Alright, so we are semi-fast approaching the one year anniversary of _The Trouble with Soulmarks_ (it's in November). And because of time, and the fact that NaNoWriMo is in November, I decided to do this now. Ahem, to thank all of you for your support I am planning a **special request release** for the anniversary of the _Trouble with Soulmarks_. Yes, from now until I post the next chapter _you may make requests for a type of fic or a prompt_. I'll pick my three favorite and have everyone vote on which one I will write to celebrate the _Trouble with Soulmarks_ anniversary when I post the next chapter. I hope that you are all excited. I've never really offered to take requests before, so we will see how this goes.

Also, before you are all saying "I just want more chapters of the _Trouble with Soulmarks_." My goal is to do both. (It's an anniversary treat after all.) I can't _promise_ to do both (especially since I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo), but that is my goal.

(Note: I don't do smut, but I think you all know this.)

Next chapter will be the last of this arc, then either an original chapter or Kaito KID and the Four Masterpieces.

 **Thanks everyone for your reviews! Keep them coming. (Especially TooLazyToLogIn, great idea, and I've thought about doing that, as you can see with the May the Fourth storyline, but how do we keep him away from Conan after seeing that new report?)**


	23. Treasure Trap

**Go to my profile to vote for the Anniversary Bonus Chapter! The poll should be there!  
**

* * *

Conan's hand shot out before Kaito even scrambled to his feet. "The handle here suggests we're meant to use the blade to reach the sword." Conan swung across the room, clinging to the blade and landed neatly on the pedestal beside the sword. Kaito didn't know whether to be impressed or to pass out in relief. Conan read the new inscription, clearly pondering the information. But Kaito was nearing the end of his rope. He wanted them to get out of here. He wanted the children safe, and he wanted his soulmate away from this house.

Kaito laughed. "This was all a fool's errand! I bet there was never anything here to begin with! Let's go home!" He turned away, but didn't fully relax until he heard Conan's friends calling him and saw him grab the blade again and land safely on the other side. He positively wilted in relief when Conan announced that he was giving up on the treasure.

Unzo and Akutsu left the group. Unzo to keep looking around a bit and Akutsu was going home. Unzo urged Kaito to remain with the children and help them avoid traps, which he would have done anyway but it was nice to have an excuse. Kaito confidently led the children out of the house. Mitsuhiko at least seemed relieved to be out in the open. Kaito realized that the kid had a decent pokerface of his own to hide how being underground had affected him.* They'd spent so much time in the basement that night had fallen.

"What happened to Agasa-hakase?" Genta looked around.

"Who?" Kaito asked.

"Agasa-hakase! He went to get the police for us." Ayumi explained. Kaito grimaced internally. Of course he did. Kaito didn't want to be here when the cops arrived. He didn't have any identification and once Conan mentioned Kaitou KID even the newest patrol officer would know to pinch faces to check for masks. Nakamori had made it standard procedure where KID was related. Best to make himself scarce until they got there.

"I guess if you've got an adult looking after you, you don't need my help." Kaito grumbled, turning away. "You go right back to where you came from or the Nio might put a curse on you!" He added. Giving the other kids a good scare might make Conan more likely to actually _listen_ to him for once.

"Okay!" Conan called after him, and Kaito instantly knew it was a lost cause. He ducked out of sight, and waited for the inevitable.

"Isn't it time you show us where the treasure is?" The clever brown haired girl asked. Kaito frowned. He didn't consider Ayumi much of a threat, despite her obvious crush on his soulmate. But Haibara Ai understood his soulmate on a level that the others didn't. She was closer to his age, and- Kaito shook himself. He was being stupid. Conan was too young to think stuff like that! When Kaito was his age he'd still thought that girls had cooties, kids couldn't have changed _that_ much since then. Kaito returned his attention to Conan's deduction. He had to appreciate how Conan led the other children through it.

"If we add a Sanzui to each of those kanji…" Conan trailed off, allowing his friends to figure it out by themselves.

"Flame becomes Awaji Island!" Mitsuhiko smiled.

"Eternal turns into swim!" Ayumi practically jumped up and down.

"And dragon is waterfall." Haibara finished calmly.

Now that the riddle was finished Conan went on to explain his deductions. "So it must be at a waterfall, and listen." Kaito grimaced. "Don't you hear it."

"The _koi_ pond from the beginning!" The children exclaimed. Mitsuhiko, Genta, and Ayumi rushed towards the waterfall. Kaito was grateful that he'd had the foresight to plant the KID note.

"Conan," Haibara held Conan back. "The body's gone." Kaito swallowed.

"You're right." Conan said grimly. "The killer must have moved it while we were inside to hide the crime."

"What body?" Unzo asked, leaving the house. Kaito tensed.

"We're going to dive in to see if we can find the diamond!" Genta called back to them, leaning over the dark water with his watch flashlight.

"It's too late." Akutsu called from above them. Kaito glanced up. She was soaking wet. Must not have noticed his note before she jumped in. Kaito straightened. He wasn't leaving the kids with the two of them. "Look behind the waterfall."

"I've taken the Nio Stone, _Kaitou KID_?!" The children cried out in dismay. Kaito couldn't help laughing as his old woman character made her appearance again.

"He sure lived up to his reputation!" Kaito cowed. "I'm sure that Sanzui Kichiemon would be satisfied with his treasure being stolen by the world's greatest thief!"

"She's still here?" Genta muttered, sitting down grumpily. He knocked Mitsuhiko down, into the pond, in the process. The boy resurfaced quickly, coughing.

"Let's go, there's nothing here." Unzo declared.

"I saw it!" Mitsuhiko coughed, drawing their attention. Kaito's stomach sank. "Something glimmering in the mud!"

"IT'S MINE!" Unzo cried, throwing his jacket aside and diving in to the pond.

"Hang on!" Kaito shouted, to no avail. " _You can't take it!_ " He yelled, hoping that the man could hear him. "Hey!" Kaito gave up, and turned to the kids, determined to get them to higher ground before the water started raising.

That was when he heard the click of a gun. "Don't move." He froze and looked up at the woman. "I should have checked the mud." Akutsu mused aloud. "I guess I overlooked it because that note had me fooled." She gestured with the gun. "Line up over there. Once Unzo-san surfaces with the diamond you can all take a dive together." Kaito clenched his fists as he glared at Akutsu. Beside him, Conan chuckled.

"So you've shown yourself at last, Kaitou KID."

"It's her?!" Genta gaped up at the woman, and Kaito was once again insulted that they would think him a murderer.

"Me, the KID?" Akutsu scoffed. "No, I'm-"

"A poisonous rat, a treasure hunter who killed her partner so that she didn't have to share the spoils, right?" Kaito didn't realize that Conan was walking towards her until he hopped on to one of the stepping-stones in the pond. "It was easy to figure out." Conan continued as Kaito's heart pounded. "You knew about the stone engraved with flame. The only way you could have was by reading the victim's journal and removing the picture of the artifact that he drew there." Akutsu laughed.

"You're pretty smart, kid. You should know better than to walk towards a gun." Kaito privately agreed with her, even if he currently hated the woman with an intensity that almost scared him.

"I had to get this close. How else would I hit you with my sleep dart?" Abruptly Akutsu fell to one side, her gun clattering on the rock. Kaito almost passed out with her, out of relief, rather than drugs.

"I never would have guessed that lady was KID." Genta muttered.

"She's not." Conan smirked. "KID is-" Conan was cut off by Unzo surfacing.

"I found it!" He cried, lifting the stone triumphantly. "I got the Nio Stone!" Kaito stared at it. The light from the crescent moon passed through it.

No glowing, no second gem, it wasn't Pandora. Kaito sighed, disappointed but not surprised.

Kaito heard the gears shift and groaned internally. Not again. Water rushed at them from all sides. "Put back the stone!" Conan shouted at Unzo. "Put it back or the valley will be washed away and us with it!" Kaito saw Conan trying to keep the unconscious Akutsu's head above the water, but she was dragging him down. Kaito swam quickly to his soulmate's side and lifted the killer's head to his shoulder. Together, while keeping an eye on the other children, they swam backwards.

"The water will be at the roof soon." Conan began, only to get a mouthful of water and start choking. Kaito grabbed him, almost allowing Akutsu to slip into the depths in the process and lifted him above the water as best he could. "Thanks." Conan coughed.

"Genta, Mitsuhiko, help Conan get to the roof!" Kaito called, struggling between the unconscious killer and the young boy who couldn't quite catch his breath. With the children's help, Kaito managed to maneuver everyone on to the roof. He promptly tied Akutsu up with rope appropriated for a treasure hunter. Unzo joined them a moment later, having successfully returned the stone. Kaito took a seat next to Conan and patted his back while he coughed.

"You shouldn't be so reckless." He chided him. Conan scoffed.

"Hypocrite."

"So the diamond was the switch for this giant trap." Mitsuhiko marveled.

"Yep, that's why you left it, right, old lady?" Conan stepped away from Kaito, and the thief had to ignore a stab of loss as his soulmate turned his back on him. "Or should I say, Kaitou KID?" Kaito was already in the process of removing his costume, so he stood before them in his full regalia as Conan finished speaking. Even for a small audience, presentation was everything, and it made them both look good. The kids actually looked excited to see him. Weird since they'd just been accusing him of murder. Did these children have no sense of fear? Only Haibara seemed unfazed. No matter. Kaito turned his attention to his soulmate.

"You've got good eyes, Tantei-kun." Kaito meant that with all his heart. Conan's eyes were as sharp as they were beautiful.

Conan smirked. "The uneven walls of the house, the leaking water in the basement, the note that claimed to have stolen the stone when you clearly hadn't… and your panic when Unzo-san dove in for the diamond. It was all laid out, clear as day." Kaito smirked. Even for an audience this size, Conan was just as much of a showman as he was. "The old woman stole the stone, triggering the trap and quickly put it back. She then left the note so no one _else_ would take it." Conan grinned. "There for the old woman was Kaitou KID."

"Bravo," Kaito clapped. After all, it had been a great performance. "There is _another_ reason I didn't take the stone." After all, he didn't want Conan thinking he _couldn't_ defeat Sanzui Kichiemon's trap if he really wanted to. "It's not what I'm looking for."

"So that's why you told us to give up on the treasure and go home." Mitsuhiko realized.

"But he pushed me out of the way to get to the sword!" Genta argued.

"No, he _saved_ you." Conan corrected his friend with an eye roll. "If you had gone in first you'd have been sliced to ribbons." Genta gulped visibly.

"You were waiting in the basement so you could keep us safe." Ayumi beamed up at him.

"My, my," Haibara smirked sardonically. "A thief with a heart of gold." Kaito felt instant annoyance at the little girl, but didn't let his smile show it… much.

"You flatter me, young lady." He replied through gritted thief. She just smirked at him again. That was gratitude for you! Though her friends' beaming faces more than made up for it. Kaito returned his gaze to his soulmate.

Conan contemplated him, then shrugged. "I'll let you go this time." Kaito's heart leapt and he had to hold himself back from grabbing Conan in a hug (which would probably change the kid detective's mind about letting him go). He was positively giddy.

"I knew you liked me, Tantei-kun." He beamed at Conan.

"Don't be stupid, I'm only letting you go because you helped my friends." Conan rolled his eyes. "I'm going to keep investigating you, and someday, I'll bring your identity to light." Kaito smirked, deploying his hang glider, he was still flying high from Conan's decision. "And when I do," Conan continued. "I'll rip off that dumb monocle off your face."

Kaito smirked at him. "Pandora opened the box to see what was inside." Conan raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying that revealing your identity would be akin to releasing all the evils in the world?" He questioned sarcastically. Kaito almost laughed. One day, the child before him _would_ know who he was, but knowing before hand would ruin the surprise.

"Not at all." Kaito grinned. "I'm asking what is the thrill of knowing what is in the box before you open it?" With that, Kaito fell gracefully off the roof, and glided peacefully way, he glanced back and saw his soulmate watching him go. Kaito smiled. He'd liked meeting Conan's friends. He'd have to invite them to a heist sometime. Those kids were fun!

In the meantime, he'd better disguise himself as Nakamori so that they didn't call the inspector during his trip with Aoko. Kaito sighed. Sometimes it sucked to care about his pursuers, they made it so difficult to look after them.

* * *

*When I saw how relieved that Mitsuhiko was that they got out of the basement, I realized that the last (?) time they'd been underground Conan had been shot and Mitsuhiko stepped up as unofficial leader/detective. I could so see Mitsuhiko remembering that, especially when those knives came down around Conan again.

 **I added a few lines, to make some stuff make more sense at the end. Frankly, some of the stuff that Kaito says at the end of the chapter (Conan too for that matter) makes no sense even though it _sounds_ good. So, I tried to twist it, hope it worked!**


	24. Another Imposter

Happy anniversary!

I am taking time out of NaNoWriMo for this, so be happy! ^_^

Winner of the prompt pick will be announced at the end

Also the lovely Cesela (I _think_ her name is Sand Assassin on FF) wrote a _fantastic_ Halloween special! It's got a lot that I think people have wanted to see in the story. It's a great read and I highly recommend it!

* * *

Kaito did not know why Hakuba would text him at seven in the morning on a Saturday. He just knew that the detective was going to pay for it. He glanced down at the phone. "Have fun." A vein pulsed in Kaito's temple. What the heck was that supposed to mean?! Kaito glanced around, then got up with a groan. Once he woke in the morning, it was almost impossible to fall asleep again. It didn't matter that he really didn't _want_ to be up. Now he was, and there was nothing for it. Kaito wondered if it was possible to prank Hakuba from the other side of the Earth. If the British detective was going to annoy Kaito, he could at least have the decency to be in pranking range.

Kaito grumpily made his way downstairs. He flipped on the TV before rummaging in his cupboard for the most sugary cereal he could find. He yawned and scratched his head, only to drop his cereal, scattering it everywhere, as a familiar voice exclaimed. "Kaitou KID is really smart!" Kaito whipped around. Conan was grinning up at an interviewer on the screen. Kaito gasped and grabbed the remote, turning the sound up.

"And do you think you'll be able to keep him from getting the masterpiece?" The interviewer asked.

"Maybe." Conan answered. "It's hard to tell what will happen when it comes to that thief."

"And-" The reporter began, but she was cut off when the door behind them burst open.

"What do you think you are doing?" Mouri Ran demanded. Kaito abruptly realized that they were standing in the stairwell that led up to the Mouri Detective Agency. "It's too early for this! And my dad has a lot to get ready for!" She tugged Conan back inside. "And you should know better than to interview a _child_ by himself! Honestly!" She leveled a glare at the camera. "If you want to talk about the heist I suggest you do it there! Now get off of our property!"

"I just-" The reporter began, but before she could get any farther Ran did a high karate kick at something out of the frame. A boom mike fell to the ground with a crash.

"Now." She growled. Kaito laughed as they hurriedly signed off. He didn't like how Ran manhandled Conan, and he was more than a little annoyed at the boy's obvious crush on her, but he was pleased that his soulmate had such a voracious protector. His grin was replaced with a frown (though his good mood couldn't be entirely dampened) when the anchors in the studio began to talk about Kaitou KID's latest notice.

Aw man, he _hated_ it when people used his name! He slammed the cupboard door and grabbed a broom for the cereal. Nine times out of ten they didn't do their research and portrayed him completely out of character! He glared at the screen. This one didn't even have him targeting a jewel for crying out loud! And didn't they realize that every time someone used his name the _actual_ Kaitou KID would be in the wings waiting for reprisal?

Still… And a smile played across his face as he thought about it. _Conan_ would be there. So, maybe the imposter wasn't so bad. He grabbed his phone and texted Hakuba. "dont know what ur talking about. ur lucky im not gonna prank you for waking me up." He knew the detective would take it for the thanks it was (that's what any promise not to prank the blond was). Then opened a new text message to Jii-chan requesting all information on the painter and his paintings. Kaito glanced up. It was strange that he hadn't heard Nakamori-keibu this morni-

"KAITOU KID!" The roar echoed from next door. Kaito smiled slightly. Ah, there it was. The painter must have called Conan Detective Mouri first. That was sure to annoy him. Kaito tossed the cereal in the trash. It would be better to wander over to the Nakamori's and bum a breakfast off Aoko while listening to her dad rant anyway.

_|_|_  
.^_O~

It was easy enough to slip into the media circus. Nichiuri TV always had the biggest crew, so they didn't blink when someone they'd never seen before wearing their company logo started helping them out. Kaito was initially annoyed at how many cameras were flashing in Conan's face. The lights seemed to be blinding him. But he relished the questions the reporters asked. They were all about his relationship with KID. Kaito positively beamed as Conan not only informed the reporter that they'd met more often than the media was aware of, but also admitted that the diminutive detective hadn't always won their little skirmishes. His annoyance mounted as Detective Mouri elbowed his way between Conan and the cameras and proceeded to hog the spotlight. He couldn't help but appreciate it when Nakamori interrupted the man and chewed him out for his unprofessional behavior.

Kaito had always thought he saw a strong similarity between the two men, but watching them now, he realized just how different they were. Nakamori might be loud and proud, but he was also dependable, professional, and more clever than the media ever gave him credit for. Kaito made a mental note to go easy on him on during his next heist. Out of everyone there, Kaito knew who was most worthy of his respect, even if he didn't always treat him that way. It didn't stop Kaito from wincing as Nakamori banned the all media presence from inside the mansion. Nakamori always was smart.

Kaito sighed as he sat back in his seat. All that he had to do now was wait for 8 o'clock when the imposter claimed he would steal the painting. Kaito mentally reviewed what he knew. Oikawa Takeyori was a renowned painter. His wife had been killed in a tornado. He lived with his father-in-law, Kanbara Haruhito, a former painter whose injured hand had ended his career. Kaito glanced at a clock. Ten minutes to eight, he should start scouting the perimeter in case.

"Did you see that?" Someone asked. Kaito jerked around, the entire house had been engulfed in darkness. His stomach plummeted. They were early. Of course, he shouldn't have expected them to stick to Kaitou KID's reputation for punctuality! Kaito started running towards the house. But right as he reached a window the lights flickered back on. He heard a muffled order to spread out, check all of the windows and doors. Kaito reluctantly slipped away, back into the media frenzy behind him. It wouldn't do to be caught now. He could only hope that the only thing stolen was the painting.

Kaito felt sick when he overheard the members of Nichiuri TV talking five minutes later. "Did you hear? Kaitou KID committed a murder!" Kaito ground his teeth. He hated it when people jumped to that conclusion. Didn't he deserve the benefit of doubt? Had KID _ever_ even _hurt_ anyone? Kaito fixed a grin on his face. There were only two things that would make him feel better right now. Clearing his name… And seeing Conan.

Both of them were in that mansion.

* * *

Ladies and Gentlemen! The winner of the Anniversary Bonus Story was Prompt Number 3 Submitted by TanteiKID13 !

Shinichi became a famous soccer player instead of a detective and still becomes entangled with Kaitou Kid. Maybe Sonoko bothers him about his detective geek phase until Shinichi agrees to help out, maybe Shinichi is just at an event Kid targets and is much sharper than Kid is expecting a soccer player to be.

Thank you everyone who voted! I'm looking forward to writing the story! (I think Sonoko fans might like it too because I'm debating how I'm going to implement one of my head canons about her.)

Unfortunately... It's not ready yet. Sorry. NaNoWriMo is taking up a lot of my writing time, though I _might_ try using some fanfic as warm up exercises. Manipulations of the Heart might end up getting updated first because that chapter's almost done.

Once again! I recommend you read that Halloween special by Cesela.

(What are you still doing here? Go read the Halloween special. Shoo!)


	25. The Improbable Painting

**I forgot to include. This is** **Episode 469-470, Chapters 544-547**

* * *

It was fortunate that Kaito had foreseen something like this happening. Since it was a high profile murder and Detective Mouri was involved. They were sure to send the officers most familiar with him. Inspector Megure stepped out of the patrol car followed by Officers Takagi, Sato, and Chiba. Excellent. His choice was obvious.

As the reporters mobbed the officers, Kaito grabbed Takagi by the wrist and shoved a Nichiuri TV hat on his head. Before the officer could do more than yelp in surprise, Kaito had covered his mouth with a chloroform soaked rag. He pulled Takagi away from the mass of reporters, surging around the remaining officers. It was painfully simple to duck behind a news van and tuck the officer into a waiting bag. He arranged his limbs so that the man would be only somewhat stiff when he was eventually released, then he prepared his second deception. He applied the mask to Takagi's face, making sure that seams wouldn't be visible. Half a minute later, Takagi was a perfect imitation of Chiba from the neck up. As for the rest, the trick zipper would take care of that. It would break just beneath Takagi's chin, hiding the man's slimmer frame. Then he tugged his own mask over his face, quick changed his clothing, and slipped back into the crowd, to immediately be manhandled and shouted at by reporters until he, Sato, and Chiba were able to make it to the front door, thoroughly disheveled.

His reasoning was simple, if self-serving. Takagi and Conan were close. It had not escaped Kaito's notice that Takagi treated Conan as something approaching an equal, and Conan acted in kind. Though his childish persona remained in full affect around the man, he did nothing to hide his intelligence. Kaito couldn't wait to work with the child detective in this particular disguise. It would be hilarious to watch him juggle the child phrases with the keen intellect.

"We're way up in the mountains, how did the press get here so fast?" Sato grumped as they straightened their clothing.

"They were already here, Kaitou KID sent a note." Kaito responded with Takagi's sheepish chuckle, while ignoring his own twinge of irritation that someone didn't know that he had a heist tonight. "It gave Chiba a workout at least." Chiba spluttered indignantly.

"You do look a bit thinner." Sato remarked, giving him an appraising glance. Kaito instantly forgave her for her ignorance of his heist. She was making his bluff about KID's disguise stronger!

Inspector Nakamori took them on a walk through of the crime scene. He passed the evidence off to Megure. "Alright then, it's your case, good luck."

"Wait! Aren't you going to stay?!" Megure protested. "Kaitou KID is the kill-"

"He's not." Nakamori cut him off. "The one thing KID would never steal is a life." Kaito's heart warmed, and he felt a rush of affection for the inspector. He'd have to make this up to him somehow. "Besides, those guys are here to help you catch the real culprit."

"Huh?" Megure glanced around, and his eyes fell on Detective Mouri, Ran, and an adorable child detective with massive innocent eyes. "You…" Megure's voice became resigned. Kaito tried not to show too much interest in Conan. They went through the video, making commentary.

The officers were pleasantly dubious of his guilt. They didn't have the unshakeable confidence in him that Nakamori had, but Sato and Chiba both seemed unconvinced that a previously nonviolent criminal had changed his MO so dramatically. This, of course, meant that Kaito would have to play the bad guy. It was pretty simple to channel Aoko to bad mouth himself. He even threw in a touch of jealousy the real Takagi would feel if he thought that Sato had a soft spot for Kaitou KID. Then Conan brought up the important part.

"Are we sure that note is from KID?" He inquired innocently.

"The logo was genuine." Chiba assured him, much to Kaito's annoyance. "It wasn't a copy, Nakamori confirmed that much."

"Yeah, but an illustrator could forge one." Conan protested. "Or an artist… like a painter." He gave Oikawa a sharp glance over his shoulder.

"C-Conan!" Ran shushed her charge looking flustered.

"It was just an idea!" He grinned innocuously up at them.

"I can't do cartoon doodles like that." Oikawa laughed. "In my professional opinion as an artist, the letter is genuine." Kaito glowered internally at him, as if he would know.

"Oh yeah! I bet you're right!" Conan was overacting. "It was KID! He's a bad guy!" Kaito felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. For an instant he openly stared at Conan in dismay before his poker face reasserted itself. _He's acting._ Kaito tried to reassure himself as he averted his gaze from the boy's wide smile. _He probably suspects Oikawa._ Conan was staring at him obviously enough, and that artist comment was not subtle in the least. Kaito slipped a note into his inner pocket where he kept his phone, a much trickier feat than most pick pocketing.

Kaito then went back to the police officers, and waited for the discovery of the note.

.^_O~

Kaito had lost track of Conan. This was always slightly nerve wracking. Both because it meant he didn't know what the tiny detective was up to (which was always dangerous) and because it meant that the little trouble magnet might run into something he couldn't handle. Kaito tried to compensate for that by keeping an almost obsessive eye on the only suspect. He thought that he had figured out the trick. It was a simple parlor trick on a larger scale really, but he wasn't sure how, or if, Takagi should bring it up. He volleyed theories mindlessly around with the police while angling himself to prevent Oikawa from leaving and possibly finding his wayward soulmate.

Then Kaito saw him. Ran was holding him up by the back of his jacket, clearly some of her father's habits had worn off on her. He gritted his teeth. He despised how the Mouri family manhandled his soulmate, even more than how little Conan seemed to mind when Ran did it. She was saying something, as she came closer, he heard her clearly.

"I don't care that they haven't caught KID yet. It's your bedtime and that's _final_!" No! She couldn't take his soulmate away! Kaito did the first thing he could to keep Conan there. He blurted out a question so that everyone would be distracted by the boy's brilliance and forget all about _bedtime_ (which, in his opinion, was a bad idea to start with!).

"I don't get it!" He proclaimed. "Someone would have seen KID leaving! The building was surrounded by the riot squad!"

"They weren't allowed to use flashlights during the blackout." Chiba remarked.

"But _someone_ still should have seen that big white hang glider." Kaito's favorite detective pointed out, with a deadpan expression.

"Yes! Exactly!" Kaito beamed at him. "He's an illusionist! There's always some _trick_ to his magic!"

"Takagi-keiji!" Ran snapped angrily. "Don't get Conan worked up! It's his bedtime!"

"Ah, right." Kaito blinked at her, embarrassed. His plan hadn't even worked a little in the face of the overprotective teenager. Something occurred to him, it would keep Ran engaged and that would keep Conan there. "I have an idea, can I try a little experiment?" Takagi grabbed a cup and a pair of newspapers from the side table. He lay them out in front of him. He couldn't perform the trick as well as he normally would, that would be a dead give away. He covered the glass with a newspaper, dictating what he was doing as he did so. He lifted the paper and, unseen, dropped the cup in his lap as he did so. "And then," He smashed the shape the cup had left in the paper with a flourish. "The cup disappears!" He smiled at them with Takagi's innocently proud smile.

He might not have expected to be praised the way that Kuroba Kaito was after he'd dazzled his audience with a new trick, but he certainly wasn't expecting to be yelled at. "What an obvious trick!" Mouri snapped.

"You dropped the cup in your lap when you lifted the paper, keeping the shape of the glass!" Sato sniped, unimpressed and annoyed.

"I did the same trick at a New Year's party years ago." Megure added, apathetically. Kaito drew back, surprised and slightly stung. _Freaking critics._ He thought grumpily. _I'd like to see you so blasé after one of my_ _ **real**_ _tricks._

"My dad told me about that party, he said your trick was a real downer." Sato smirked at Megure, almost as if taunting him for doing the trick even earlier. Kaito realized that Conan was still staring at him curiously. _Distract!_ He thought in a panic.

"What does that cheap trick have to do with the case?!" Megure demanded, clearly directing his embarrassment at Sato's slight into anger at 'Takagi'.

"I- I was just trying to demonstrate how KID might have escaped." 'Takagi' stuttered, and shifted his legs just enough for the glass to roll off and fall to the floor… where it promptly shattered. Kaito was inwardly pleased, breaking a glass was such a Takagi thing to do, it might through his little detective off until 'Chiba' was found snoring away in the bag. "Ah! I'm sorry!" 'Takagi' was all flustered, contrite, remorse.

"Don't worry, it wasn't expensive." Oikawa assured him, though he still seemed angry. "But it was a wedding gift from when I married my soulmate forty years ago."

"EH?!" Now Kaito actually did feel bad. Murderer or not, he felt sympathy for how the man had lost his soulmate… if something happened to Conan- Kaito shook himself and began collecting the glass. He wished he hadn't destroyed something from a union between two soulmates.

"I didn't know that you and your wife were soulmates." Megure commented, while Sato and 'Takagi' picked up the glass shards. "Where _is_ your wife?" Megure asked. Kaito almost flinched.

"She died five years ago…" Oikawa answered. "But I had lost her long before that… You see, fifteen years ago she was injured in a tornado. She was in a coma for ten years." The man's hands clenched in emotion. "It was amazing she lasted as long as she did… I always thought that she was holding on for me." A hush settled over the room. He cleared his throat and any tears in his eyes. "I completed the painting that ultimately made me famous in order to pay her hospital bills. And my father-in-law, Kanbara, spent his savings to build this place so that she'd have a beautiful place to rest." Oikawa's cell phone rang, interrupting the somber silence that reigned while he told the tragic story. "Excuse me, this is my brother." They nodded as he turned away and answered the black phone. Chiba came to help them with the glass, shining a flashlight on the shards. Out of the corner of his vision, Kaito saw that look in his soulmate's eye, the one that he always got when he realized something significant. But before he could focus his gaze on the boy, he was gone. It was a good thing too. Ran chose that moment to start looking for him to take him home. Kaito slipped away from the other officers. There wasn't much better than watching his soulmate solve a crime, and it had looked like the child detective was about to do just that.

He found Conan outside. The boy was on the phone with a serious expression on his face. "Is something wrong, Conan?" Kaito asked in concern through the mask of Takagi.

"The Chiba in the house is actually Kaitou KID." Conan informed him. Kaito couldn't help being smug. He'd fallen for it.

"What?! I'd better go tell Megure-keibu!" He declared, turning to go. He had to stay true to his character.

"Wait!" Conan grabbed his hand with both of his. Kaito froze and looked down at their linked hands. He slowly curled his fingers around one of them. "Before you do that, could you just do one thing for me?" Kaito almost bit his lip to keep himself from saying something embarrassing. His face warmed.

"Whatever you need." He answered, squeezing Conan's hand.

"I need you to find _Verdure_ for me." Conan smiled at him. "It's still in the house."

"What? But I thought that Kaitou KID stole it." 'Takagi' protested. Well, no. Kaito had worked out that the thing never existed, and after that heart-wrenching story about the artist's soulmate he could certainly understand why.

"It's still in the house. It was never stolen." Conan insisted. He looked up at 'Takagi' with a trusting smile on his face. "I'm sure that you can find it!" Kaito's face got hotter when confronted with Conan's unflinching trust, even if it was towards Takagi instead of him.

"O- okay." Kaito nodded, then with more confidence. "You got it!" He turned and rushed away.

"And tell Megure-keibu that Mouri-tantei's about to have his deduction show, so don't let anyone else in the atelier." Conan called after him.

"Will do!" Kaito shouted over his shoulder.

He had to find that painting. He couldn't let Conan down!

.^_O~

He stopped to inform Megure about the deduction show before he went to search for the painting. He wasn't in the least surprised that Mouri had no idea what he was talking about. Conan was the brains behind that outfit after all. He set off in search of the painting. He started with the obvious places, safes, behind other paintings, even inspecting some of the pictures hanging on the wall to see if they were painted _over_ a picture, which was one of the most ingenious ways of hiding a picture. He didn't have any luck. But… This wasn't a normal painting was it. Kaito almost struck his head as he realized the obvious. This place was home to a pair of artists! Why was he looking for places one would find an old masterpiece when he was looking for a _new_ one? Kaito started with Oikawa's studio. No painting there. The victim, Kanbara, hadn't painted in years, his hands had gone bad some time ago, but he did still have a small studio where he used to work. Kaito went there, expecting it to be dusty with disuse.

It wasn't. While by no means clean, there was obviously a project in the process of being completed here. Kaito could smell fresh oil paints, some of them glistened at him slightly from a palette, not yet dry. When he saw the bite marks on the brushes and turned the easel around to face him, he understood. Oikawa couldn't paint _Verdure_ , so Kanbara had done it for him… to the best of his abilities, using his mouth to hold the brush. Kaito's heart just about broke as he surveyed the show of love, knowing that it had never been seen, or accepted, and that now it was his job to present the evidence of Kanbara's good faith to the very man who killed him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I WON NANOWRIMO! Yes! I just wrote a novel in a month! HUZZAH!**

 **It's been a long _long_ week for me (though my birthday made it better!) so give me comments to make me feel better? Please? **

**By the way, according to the actual chapter, the painting was in a safe in Kanbara's room, but seriously? You don't keep a work in progress in a safe, I doubt it would dry properly, and you'd probably smudge it getting it in and out, especially if you had a bad wrist... We know it was a work in progress because Kanbara still had a mark from the palette on his hand!**

 **...And also, I thought it was funny if Kaito looked in all the normal places you would look for a valuable painting, only to find it in the studio where it was _being_ painted. **

**And now that I think about it isn't the fact that _Takagi_ found the painting in a _safe_ a dead give away?**


	26. Love Hurts

**Did you miss me?**

 **If you care, my excuses are at the end.**

 **(I know it's short, sorry... There were less than five pages, but I think the end will make up for it... If you want something longer try Manipulations of the Heart since that one's getting a twelve page update. That had mostly been done, but not ready to be posted yet.)**

* * *

Kaito arrived on the scene and displayed the painting. It was painful to see Oikawa's tears of remorse. All of this could have been avoided if Oikawa had simply waited to hear what Kanbara had to say. Kaito didn't feel any sympathy for the man, the murderer, only regret for what could have been avoided. Kaito glanced at Oikawa's back retreating down the hallway with shackles around his wrists and Megure's hand on his back, guiding him. Kaito went into one of the parlors with a large open window. The perfect place to make his escape. Though he regret not having a chance to see Conan again… He had no sooner opened the window than that familiar, young voice said "Takagi-keiji?" Kaito froze. His heart warred with his head, stay or go. "What are you doing?" Conan asked walking towards him. Kaito's heart won as his soulmate approached. After all, what could a little bit of conversation hurt?

"I was just getting a little bit of fresh air." Kaito chuckled nervously. _Poker face, darn it!_ He couldn't help it sometimes.

"Oh, okay." Conan grinned smugly. "I thought that you were about to fly out the window on your hang glider but I guess I was wrong." Kaito knew that he was busted. He couldn't quite ignore the little thrill that he felt that Conan felt comfortable enough in his presence to confront him alone.

"How'd you know?" Kaito asked, not bothering to deny it. If he could interact with Conan as himself, he'd gladly take it.

"Easy, process of elimination." Conan responded with his smugly serious grin. "You might know stuff about Nakamori, but there was no way you'd know about the trick that Megure pulled at the party years ago. Both he and Sato referenced it. So both of them were the real deal. Then there was Chiba." Conan smirked. "Yes, he was the one in the bag, but _why_ would you leave the bag out in the open to be discovered? We are in the middle of the woods, you could have hidden the person you disguised as easily if you _didn't_ want them found. So, it must have been intentional. You disguised Takagi as Chiba so everyone would think that you were Chiba!" Conan kicked on of his shoes against the other and Kaito heard the tell tale whir of them starting up. "I guess I should thank you. That magic trick 'Takagi' pulled gave me the clue I needed." Kaito felt a twinge of annoyance. Couldn't he just say 'Thank you' for once? Instead of 'I should thank you'? It would just be nice to hear.

"It's nothing, I'm a professional when it comes to tricks like that." Kaito made his card gun appear in his hand, much to Conan's unimpressed indifference. "Can't you let me go this once?" He could hear Ran in the corridor. "I'm just here to clear my name after all." Kaito winked. But Conan still reached for his belt, his shoes sparking. "Don't make me do something I'll regret." Kaito sighed. He knew he'd need a distraction… And the best one was one he really didn't want to do. "I see London, I see France…"

"Conan?" Ran opened the door.

"I see Ran-neechan's underpants." He fired his card gun and tried to ignore Conan's blatant blush as his eyes followed Kaito's cards.

Kaito had never been as pleased as when Mouri-tantei stepped between his daughter and the cards, causing his own pants to fall to his ankles and reveal some embarrassing boxers. Kaito dropped a smoke bomb. He heard a soccer ball deploy just a moment before he felt an immense amount of pain. The ball slammed into his torso and caused him to topple out of the window. He barely had time to deploy his doll, soaring up into the sky on a white hang glider as he fell two stories to the ground. He lay there, all of the breath knocked out of him, listening to Ran state the obvious, with only one thought on his mind…

Love hurts.

He was still lying below the window assessing his injuries when he heard it. "I can't believe those reporters," Conan was on the phone, walking by the brush he was lying under. "No, I'm going to make a statement. I mean, you would think it was obvious that KID would _never_ kill anyone, but there's no way I'm going to leave _any_ room for doubt." He paused, listening to the other person on the phone. "Seriously, Haibara? You're not going to let me off the phone until I say it are you?" He sighed. "Fine, I respect KID. He protects everyone he comes into contact with and creates puzzles that I can solve without the stress of a murder. There are you happy?" Conan groaned. "You're really going to make me say it. Fine. I like KID." Conan moved away from the hidden thief who could feel his heart swelling. Conan liked him… CONAN **_LIKED_** _HIM!_

Love hurts… but it was undoubtedly worth it.

* * *

 **I have had a crazy few months.**  
 **1\. Grandpa got sick (he's fine now, mostly)**  
 **2\. I got sick... so so sick... it didn't go away for two weeks, and the cough lasted a month... I went through _two_ different runs of antibiotics and slept 20 hours in one day! It was terrible!**  
 **3\. Trying to get into a program.**  
 **4\. Got a second job.**

 **So... Yeah, I really did try. I even started a Christmas special, a Valentine's Day special AND a White Day special... I ran out of time.**

 **I think I'll have more time now, but I can't be certain... I'm still working two jobs and trying to get into that program (I'm looking into multiple ones). I will _try_ to update... but with everything happening... who knows?**

 **The ending happened because I needed to give Kaito a break. (I think his ribs are broken, I'm not quite mean enough to break his heart too.) For the record though, that wasn't a like _like_ "like". I even had a line comparing him to Hattori to try to get that across. **

**"He's like if Hattori went rogue and it's a lot of fun."**


	27. Damsel in Distress

**Happy birthday to long time commenter Nekosuki!**

* * *

"Princess, don't forget that you have a nail appointment before the ball tonight." Hugo stumbled as he followed the princess down the hall, flanked on either side by her guards.

"Of course, of course." Princess Buttercup smiled at him winningly.

"Excellent, then your official appearances will be-"

"I'd really rather not make any official appearances other than the ball, dear Hugo." Princess Buttercup cut him off smoothly, her smile not wavering for a moment.

"But, Princess-!" He protested.

"Oh, is that a Fusae bag?" The princess went into a nearby store, trailed by the worn out secretary and sympathetic guards.

Princess Buttercup picked out a few clothes in no time and flounced into the changing room. The moment the curtain was closed, Kaito slumped against one wall. Good grief being a princess was _exhausting_.

Honestly, it had seemed a bit too easy. Princess Anne of Sabrina had her country suddenly announce a massive contest to find this century's greatest magician; Kaito had (correctly) interpreted it as a message to get in touch with her. After some good-natured banter that he couldn't possibly enter the contest, Anne explained her reason for contacting him. Princess Buttercup of Florin was planning to elope with one of the farmhands on her country estate. Since Buttercup was supposed to go to Japan for the unveiling of the _Pirate's Promise_ , a large ruby, it was an ideal opportunity. It was a stone often paired with the Florin's crown jewel, a sapphire called the _Princess in Waiting_.

Princess Anne reasoned that if Kaitou KID were to take Princess Buttercup's place, he'd be able to take the _Princess in Waiting_ and investigate the security for the _Pirate's Promise_ at the same time. As a bonus (her words) it would give Buttercup and Westley time to escape the country and live 'happily ever after'. Kaito was hesitant. Both gems were on his list (particularly the _Princess in Waiting_ since it was coming to Japan instead of him having to travel) but he didn't love the idea of becoming embroiled in the political mess this was sure to turn into. Especially not for some princess' passing fancy.

Kaito groaned and scratched at his wig. It turned out it wasn't some passing fancy. The princess and the farmhand were _soulmates_ , but everyone thought that Buttercup's soulmate was a pompous prince. It wasn't uncommon for nobles with soul marks to be introduced to other nobles with soul marks and have certain phrases… suggested for when they met. Kaito scoffed internally. Soul marks weren't supposed to be complicated. That was the point of them! He had to do it. He had to help Buttercup and Westley find their happiness. Getting a good look at the _Princess in Waiting_ and a chance to scout out the _Pirate's Promise_ was just a bonus.

Kaito took a deep breath and pulled on the dress. He looked in the mirror and waited for Buttercup's mask to slide back. He- she could do it.

Princess Buttercup stepped out of the changing room with a flourish. "Tada!" She twirled. The princess' entourage clapped politely. She glanced in the mirror. Not bad… but the color clashed with her eyes. With a huff, Buttercup stepped back into the room to try on her next dress… to the resigned despair of her secretary.

Buttercup flounced into the lobby of her upscale hotel. It wasn't easy to flounce with bodyguards on either side, but she managed it. "Hugo, have my bags arrived? I simply must change my clothing." She smiled at him.

"Certainly, Princess." He replied, clearly exhausted. "I assume that you'll be taking your usual afternoon ride?"

"Of course." Buttercup smiled, effortlessly masking Kaito's nerves. He hadn't spent much time around horses, but Anne had assured him that Buttercup's rides were the only time she was alone. It was something that Princess Buttercup insisted on, no matter where she went or how inconvenient and costly it was for everyone else. Hopefully no one would notice Kaito's lack of skill when he mounted and rode away.

"Very well, your horse shall be ready in an hour. That should give you some time to eat." The secretary offered the princess a worn out grin. Kaito felt a twinge of guilt. Hugo very clearly cared about Princess Buttercup, despite how demanding the princess could be. He hoped that he wasn't going to be held responsible when the elopement was discovered.

"Eh? We can't go horseback riding?" Something about the young voice across the lobby caught his attention.

"Sorry, Ayumi. The stables closed early today." Kaito's head snapped around. Conan! He stood there in a smart black riding jacket with silver buttons going down his front.

The guards stumbled in confusion as the princess abruptly changed course and headed straight for the gaggle of children. "If you had checked the site you would have known that." The small brown haired girl commented scrolling through something on her phone.

"Oh, do you like horses, little girl?" Princess Buttercup knelt in front of the young girl with a short pink skirt and dark purple leggings and jacket.

"Yeah!" Ayumi jumped enthusiastically. Then she gasped. "You're the princess!"

"That's right." Buttercup smiled. Hearts appeared in the eyes of Genta and Mitsuhiko. Haibara appeared uninterested until her eyes landed on her Fusae brand bracelet and then flashed with something close to envy. Conan looked her over curiously but made no comment.

"Oh wow! A real princess!" Ayumi clapped in excitement. "I'm Ayumi. This is Ai-chan."

"Haibara Ai." The mature little girl took the liberty of introducing herself.

"These are Genta-kun and Mitsuhiko-kun." She pointed at the other two boys.

"It's very nice to meet you, princess." Mitsuhiko said politely with a slight bow.

"Do you have any treasure?" Genta immediately demanded.

"Genta!" Mitsuhiko elbowed him.

"And this," Ayumi paused as if presenting the final member of their little group. "Is Edogawa Conan!" She grabbed his hand and yanked him close to her so that they were shoulder to shoulder and his head was at an odd angle. Any jealousy Buttercup might feel didn't show on her face. "And we're the Detective Boys!"

"Oh?" Buttercup smiled. "Well, Detective Boys, I'm sorry you can't go for your ride. How about I treat you all to some cake instead?"

"Cake?!" All of the Detective Boys, aside from Haibara and Conan perked up immediately though Genta was the most vocal.

" _Princess, this is highly irregular._ " Hugo protested in Dutch.

"It's fine isn't it?" Buttercup responded in Japanese (Kaito might be a master of disguise, but he didn't trust himself not to speak without an accent until he had studied it a bit more). "Besides, it's the very least I can do." She turned and beamed at them. "Come along, little detectives." She took Ayumi and Conan each by the hand (effectively separating them) and walked them to the cute little café attached to the hotel.

"Princess! Welcome back." The hostess beamed in surprise.

"A table for me and my friends." Buttercup squeezed Conan's hand. Ayumi was almost giddy when the _princess_ called her a friend.

"Right away." The hostess led them to a large table next to the window.

"Tea and cake please." Buttercup said, taking a seat as she maneuvered Conan beside her. The façade very nearly slipped as Kaito fought his impulse to ask if they had lemon pie (his small soulmate's favorite) but the persona of Buttercup remained in place.

"What's it like to be a princess?" Ayumi immediately asked. Buttercup frowned and twirled her hair, pulling from her experiences and what she knew from her friendship with Princess Anne.

"Less fun than you think." She declared. "Oh, the clothing and balls are nice, and Hugo is wonderful." She beamed at her secretary. "But I don't have anything in my own control."

"But you're a princess!" Genta interrupted loudly. "You could just tell people what to do!"

"Any decent ruler, or representative of a government, is bound by that country." Haibara interjected. She was always so mature when she spoke. "While you can choose what you want to do. Royalty must put their image before everything else."

"Wow, kid. Bit of a downer." Buttercup commented, eyeing her. Haibara shrugged. "That being said. I can't just tell people what to do… Hang on." Buttercup glanced up. "Hugo?" The worn out secretary walked over to them.

"Yes, Princess?" He inquired politely.

"I've decided that I don't want to go to the ball tonight. I'd go out to a movie with Conan and his friends." Buttercup stated with finality.

Hugo's hands tightened on his tablet. "I'm afraid that won't be possible, Princess." His smile was strained. "You _must_ attend. It would be an insult not to."

"But she's a princess!" Ayumi exclaimed in shock.

"And that is why she has to go." Hugo explained, patiently. Buttercup sighed and nodded.

"Thank you, Hugo, that will be all." Hugo gave a slight bow and stepped away from the table. "And that's why it's not always fun to be a princess." Buttercup looked down at Conan. "But a Detective club sounds interesting. I'd love to hear about it."

The children launched into a few stories, some of which would likely give Kaito nightmares, and were about to start one that started with a soccer game when the cake arrived, derailing the enthusiastic kids. Buttercup and the kids enthusiastically dug in. Buttercup glanced down and saw a smear of frosting on Conan's cheek. Kaito wished he could take a picture. Instead, Buttercup wiped off his face with a cloth napkin, leaving the small detective looking disgruntled and red cheeked. It was enough to make Buttercup laugh aloud.

"Princess, you have half an hour to prepare for your ride." Hugo said. Kaito inwardly made a face while Buttercup stood.

"Enjoy the rest of the cake, children." She called, walking out of the café and leaving one of her guards to handle the bill.

.^_O~

* * *

Kaito breathed a sigh of relief as he cantered away. Thank goodness that was over. At least he got to spend some time with Conan. That had been an unexpected windfall. He'd noticed him watching the stables as "Buttercup" mounted and even offered him a friendly wave.

…He wished Conan could have ridden with him. Kaito was so busy daydreaming that he nearly ran the three gentlemen down before he noticed them. He instantly fell into the role of Buttercup. The princess eyed them warily. They shouldn't be here. The area had been cleared for her ride. The first thing that caught her attention was the giant, he was massive.

"Forgive us." The shortest man spoke, drawing her attention. He was balding, with a slightly high voice. "We are with a nearby circus. We seem to have become lost while looking for a place to practice."

Buttercup cast an eye over them again. The last man was slight and held himself with a graceful confidence of a man who knew how to defend himself. "The road is about a mile that way, I'm afraid you've got a walk ahead of you."

"Good, then no one will hear you scream." The short man said ominously. Buttercup jerked back, startling the horse, but before she could do anything more the giant grabbed her and shoved a cloth in her face.

Kaito recognized the scent of chloroform. As it all faded to black, he couldn't help but remember Conan's face, a smear of frosting on one cheek.

* * *

.O-O

Conan knew the set up for a kidnapping when he saw one. And this was a set up for a kidnapping. He'd watched the princess mount and gallop off on a handsome horse. He'd noticed a dirty nondescript black car with fake plates sitting on the edge of the woods. And he'd seen the tell tale bulge of a holster on two of the men who went into the woods. So, he did what he always did. He called in an anonymous tip with his voice changing bowtie. Stuck a tracker to the bumper. Then he waited. He couldn't let this happen. Not just because he was a detective… but also because that _wasn't_ the real Princess Buttercup.

Conan didn't know why they had elected to hire a body double, and while she was excellent at playing her role, she wasn't perfect. She never spoke in her 'native' language, even when it was spoken to her. She didn't use the table manners of Florin, instead they seemed more French, or maybe English. But most telling was a quirk that was unique to Florin. While English style was most common in Europe, Florin had adopted the Western style of riding. They held the reigns in one hand instead of both. The double was using English style.

The kidnappers were about to abduct the wrong girl. And Conan shuddered to think what would happen when they figured that out.

Conan sent the Detective Boys away (Haibara giving him a knowing look as they left) and checked his skateboard's charge, grateful he'd thought to bring it. Then, he sat under a shady tree and waited. Sure enough, within the hour, the three men walked out of the woods. The princess draped over the giant man's shoulder. The short man snapped at the other two. The giant put the woman in the backseat, walked around to sit in the driver's seat. The other two went to take the seats on either side of their hostage, but Conan release a soccer ball and kicked it right at the black haired man.

Faster than Conan thought possible the man drew his gun and shot the ball out of the air.

"Go, go, go!" The short man shrieked, jumping in the car. The gunman didn't even have a chance to close the door as the tires squealed and the car pealed away. Conan grimaced in frustration. Then he threw the skateboard to the ground and jumped on it. It powered up and Conan took off.

In the car ahead of him, the boss, Vizzini, was chuckling. "That went well." He muttered.

"Boss, there is a little boy following us." Fezzik, the giant, said from the front.

"What?" Vizzini snapped.

"He is following us." Fezzik repeated, his eyes on the rearview mirror.

"It's true." The gunman looked behind them. Inigo touched his second gun, but didn't draw it. He wouldn't shoot a child.

Vizzini turned back and stared behind them. "Inconceivable!" He exclaimed. He turned back to the giant. "Lose him."

"Sure, I can do that." Fezzik proceeded to make a series of hairpin turns that made Vizzini turn slightly green.

"He's gaining." Inigo said.

"I told you to lose him!" Vizzini shouted.

"Alright, boss, you don't have to yell." The giant spotted a boat headed towards a bridge.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Vizzini asked nervously.

"Driving over the bridge." Fezzik answered. He didn't understand why the boss kept asking him the obvious. He blew past the barricade and man shouting.

"The bridge is raising!" Vizzini shouted.

"Yeah, he won't follow us over the bridge." Fezzik said. Inigo chuckled.

"Are you insane?!" Vizzini shrieked. At that moment the car went over the lifting bridge with little more than a bump. Fezzik had timed it perfectly.

"See, now the gap gets bigger and he won't risk going over that." Fezzik pointed out. Vizzini took a few deep breaths to calm down.

"Not exactly what I would suggest. But effective." He said, starting to smile. At that moment, Conan flew through the air, using the raising bridge as a launch ramp and landed, swerving a few times before he regained his balance and picked up speed once more.

"Oh, wow." Fezzik said, impressed, eye on the rearview again.

"What?" Vizzini snapped.

"He's gaining again." Inigo reported.

" _What?!_ " Vizzini spun staring out the back window. "INCONCEIVABLE!"

"You say that word a lot." Inigo commented. "I'm not sure it means what you think it does."

* * *

 **Yes, I know, very overt references to Princess Bride. I got overly excited that the actress who played Buttercup in Princess Brideplays the General in Wonder Woman when I started writing this. And I decided it was easier to co-opt the Westley and Buttercup love story than try to get you emotionally attached to characters who weren't actually in the story, and then it went from there. I swear... It didn't start out as this overt! But guessing what Buttercup's words are is pretty easy.**

 **Can I just say how much I love that the princesses I grew up with are now generals? Buttercup - General Antiope (who trained Diana) and Princess Leia - the General.**

 **I am now working two jobs, training for a third, and volunteering. I'm crazy.**

 **HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEKOSUKI! I know I just barely came in under the wire. But I'm trying to put in lots and lots of fluff to make up for that... Yeah, aiming for a double release. Most of it's written but not typed.**


	28. Cell Conversations

**NaNoWriMo-ing, thought I'd give you an update.**

 **Lots of cuddling and something that will likely make people yell at me but will really help Kaito's endgame in the long run.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviews. I'm sorry I'm not great at PM-ing a thank you, but they all are serious motivation for me writing.**

* * *

Kaito was disoriented as he woke up. "Is that kid still following us?" One of his abductors demanded. Kaito shook his head, trying to get his bearings. The long hair from his wig fell into his face.

"Yeah." The big one mumbled. "Fast skateboard. How fast do you think it can go?"

"We have to ditch this car soon. How are we gonna do it if he's still on our tail?" Inigo asked.

"Shoot him." The short man ordered.

"He's a child." The gunman protested simply.

"So?! I thought I hired a part of hardened criminals, not whiney ninnies!" The boss snapped. There was a pause.

"You are not very nice." The big man commented.

"I'll shoot out his wheels." The gunman compromised, cocking his pistol.

"Can you make that shot?" The short man demanded. The gunman leaned in.

"I have dedicated the past ten years of my life to marksmanship." He stated flatly. "I can make the shot." He rolled down the window and leaned out.

"NO!" Kaito launched himself at the man, upsetting his aim.

"Hey!" The giant lost control of the wheel and the swerved wildly.

"Get off of him!" Kaito, the gunman, and the boss struggled. Kaito wasn't even aware enough to worry about his disguise. His only focus was on the gun being leveled at a child on an impossibly fast skateboard. The car screeched to a halt. The giant twisted and tried to get a handle on the squirming 'princess'. There was a click as the door handle was released and the gunman, boss and princess tumbled out of the car. Together they pinned their captive. Kaito's breath caught as he heard the telltale whine of the skateboard racing towards them.

"Grab him!" The boss shouted as the sound grew.

"Got him." Kaito craned his head in time to see the giant pluck Conan off his skateboard as it went by.

"Hey!" Conan yelped, dangling from the giant's hand by the scruff of his neck. Conan's hand went to his watch. Kaito saw the top flip up and a glint as the tranquilizer struck the giant in the neck. To the boy's obvious surprise the giant rubbed his neck and then walked over to the others as if nothing had happened.

"Got him, boss." The giant reported.

"Good, good." Vizzini straightened. "Now get rid of him."

"NO!" Kaito surged up, easily breaking Inigo's hold on him. Vizzini grabbed him by the hair and Kaito froze as he felt the wig start to give. Inigo and Fezzik exchanged a glance.

"How do you want me to get rid of him, boss?" The giant asked. Vizzini rolled his eyes.

"Take a rock or one of those big bricks over there and hit him over the head with it!" He snapped.

"I'd rather not." Fezzik objected. Inigo nodded approvingly.

"You can't!" Kaito- Buttercup cried as Vizzini began to grow red with rage. "He's- his name is Roberts Dread. He's the son of an earl!" Buttercup was shaking in fear. "The earl is one of the richest men in my country. You could probably get a better ransom for him than _me_!" Vizzini eyed the kid.

"The wealth would explain the fancy skateboard." Inigo pointed out softly. He frowned.

"Fine." He turned on Buttercup. "But you give us anymore trouble and I'll take care of him myself." He shot a dirty look at his employees. "Since these two are too squeamish." Inigo squeezed Buttercup's shoulder reassuringly.

"Back in the car." Buttercup allowed herself to be manhandled back into the vehicle. The giant put Conan into her lap and patted his head before he shut the door. Buttercup's arms automatically went around Conan and she buried her nose in his hair. Kaito breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. Kaito wasn't a stranger to things that didn't go according to plan, but he'd always had some modicum of control when he had to improvise. Waking up, not knowing what was happening, with Conan, brilliant, brave, _small_ Edogawa Conan in mortal danger, might have been one of the most terrifying moments of his life.

His arms tightened around Conan as he felt his throat constrict. _Do_ _not_ _cry._ He reprimanded himself. He couldn't risk tears ruining his disguise when he didn't have a chance to do a touch up. God, he almost never cried. He hid his face more deeply in Conan's hair. To his surprise, Conan shifted. He turned around and embraced him, adjusting Kaito's face so it was tucked into the space between his neck and shoulder.

"It's going to be alright." He murmured, stroking the long hair of the wig. "I'll protect you." Bizarrely… Kaito felt safer. Enough to let a few tears fall hidden in Conan's embrace, before turning his mind to their escape.

_|_|_  
.^_O~

Kaito was ready to run when they came to a stop, but the hateful little man yanked Conan away from him before they had an opportunity. He put a gun squarely against the back of the boy's forehead and marched him about two meters ahead of Kaito. Kaito glared at him with undisguised hatred. The only reason he wasn't dropping the Princess Buttercup persona entirely was that he didn't see a way out… yet. The best way to protect Conan right now was to play along as the princess.

Kaito followed. His stomach dropped when he realized they were approaching a boat. He stopped. Once they were aboard they would be effectively trapped. But it was too lat. Conan was already on the boat and when the short man with the ruddy face noticed his abductee had stopped he jabbed Conan sharply with the gun, causing him to stumble. Kaito was up the gangplank and on the boat in an instant, leaving behind the two goons flanking him.

They were locked in a room with only one porthole, too dirty for anyone to see inside. Conan quickly walked the perimeter of the barren room. The space was small enough that every nook and cranny took less than a minute. Then he returned. Kaito opened his arms expectantly, sitting on the floor opposite the door, back against the wall. Conan hesitated before kneeling in front of him and returning the hug. Kaito dragged Conan on to his lap, keenly aware of the chill in the room and how cold Conan's small body already was.

"There aren't any cameras or bugs, but the walls are thin." Conan whispered into his ear. "As long as we are quiet, it's safe to talk." Kaito nodded. "How long until they find out you aren't the real Princess Buttercup?" Kaito smiled, because of course Conan had figured it out. "You're a double, right? So how long until the real princess is revealed?"

"I don't know." Kaito replied. "I'm not exactly a real double… Buttercup is running off with her soulmate. I'm just covering for her." Conan tensed, considering.

"So as far as anyone knows, they actually have the real princess."

"Yep," Kaito pulled back and took Conan's hands, blowing on them gently, trying to warm them up. "Is that good or bad?"

"It means their plans can go forward, so they aren't anymore likely to kill us than they would be if you were actually the princess." Kaito hummed thoughtfully.

"Tell me how you deduced I was a double, _amor_." He requested.

"You never spoke in your own language." Conan answered. "You seemed to understand it when it was spoken, but you always replied in Japanese." Kaito chuckled.

"My accent is something awful." He conceded.

"You also used the wrong silverware." Conan continued. "You eat like an upper-class French girl. Don't worry too much Florin has a weird way of eating." Conan shrugged. "Little things." Kaito smiled at him fondly.

"I'll have to remember them."

Abruptly the door swung open. "This blanket's too small." The giant held it out. "Do you want it?"

"Yes, please." Kaito answered immediately because despite his best efforts Conan was still very cold. He stood, lifting Conan with him and accepted the blanket. Fezzik patted his head.

"You have to share food. We didn't expect two." He explained. Then closed the door.

Kaito slumped back against the wall. His face buried in the crook between Conan's shoulder and neck. "That was nice of him." He mumbled.

"Yeah, he's real charming for a criminal." Conan commented drily. Kaito fumbled to unfold the blanket and wrapped it around Conan. "What are you doing? You're cold too!" The child grabbed the edges of the blanket and forced it around Kaito's shoulders, inadvertently giving him a hug. Then he leaned in closer so that it would cover them both more fully. Kaito sighed, strangely content. It might be a kidnapping, but he had never had the chance to be this close to his soulmate before. It felt… nice. If this was how the real Princess Buttercup felt with her Westley, then he was truly glad to have helped her. (And a little envious that she would get to have this all the time.) Conan patted him comfortingly. "It'll be okay." He assured him softly.

"You're amazing, Edogawa Conan." Kaito murmured. Conan's breath caught in surprise. "You saw someone who needed help, and you didn't hesitate to come to their rescue." His arms tightened around his soulmate. "To my rescue." He drew a slightly shaking breath. "And now _you're_ comforting _me_?" He chuckled slightly. When he had learned Conan's age, he would have assumed that it would be the other way around. That he would protect him, look after him, help him when he fell, for a while at least. Kaito had no doubt that Conan would grow up to be a great man, but he was still much older than him.

But here they were. Kaito kidnapped and Conan there to save him.

The knock startled Kaito out of his thoughts. He frowned at the door as it opened. "Your food." Inigo slid the tray across the floor. Kaito's eyebrows raised. In addition to the prepackaged bento (which Kaito noticed with a shudder was salmon teriyaki) there was an extra onigiri and a small bag of candy on the tray. He raised questioning eyes at their captor. "Fezzik got me umeboshi." He nodded at the onigiri. "I hate umeboshi." Kaito glanced down at the candy meaningfully. "The boss needs to eat less sugar." Inigo closed the door.

"We've got some softies on our hands." Kaito observed with a smile. "Mind if I have the umeboshi? I don't like fish."

. _

.^_O~

Kaito was staring at the porthole. He could get it open. He could get it open easily. He was less sure if he could fit, even if Kaito _could_ fit, the water would completely destroy his disguise, but Conan would fit. Conan could swim to shore. Even as he thought about it, Kaito felt a lump in his throat at the thought. God there was so much that could go wrong between here and the shore.

"We can't get out that way." Kaito looked down at the young detective who seemed to have the uncanny ability to read his thoughts. "We're too far from shore and it's sunset." Kaito stared at him blankly, uncertain why sunset was significant. "Fish are most active at sunrise and sunset." Kaito blanched. "That includes sharks."

"Nope!" Kaito clutched Conan closer to him. "Nope, we are good in here!" Conan chuckled, his voice slightly winded with how tightly he was being held.

"Relax, we'll escape. For now, you should try to sleep."

"It's too early to sleep, Conan." Kaito whined. "Can't we talk?" Conan looked up at him. Kaito reveled in being the focus of his gaze so close.

"About what?"

"What do you think of soulmates?" Kaito's heart sped up. He wondered if Conan could hear it when they were so close together.

"I don't care about them." Kaito froze. He felt like he couldn't breath. Was he breathing? Oh god, if he wasn't breathing than Conan would notice and know something was wrong. "Nee-chan?" Conan's voice was colored with concern. Kaito, very deliberately, took a breath.

"Why is that?" His voice cracked. He had to get himself under control.

"My parents aren't soulmates and they're happy. My friend has parents who are soulmates and they make each other miserable." Conan answered. "Besides," Conan curled into him slightly. "I don't want someone who feels obligated to care about me. And I don't want to be forced to care about a stranger I don't even know." Kaito was trembling, he was sure that Conan could feel it and hoped he attributed it to shock.

"But…" Kaito faltered. Conan continued.

"Look, I know it's not the most popular opinion, but soulmates aren't the most important relationship in life. Not everyone has them." Conan shifted uncomfortably. Kaito distantly registered that what Conan was saying was logical. And that Aoko's friendship was probably more important to him than his relationship with Conan currently, but… _Conan_. Conan was _so important to him_. "I don't think that love is easy." Conan added. Kaito stared down at him. "Love, romantic or otherwise, takes time." Conan's sigh was heavy, heavier than anyone Conan's age should be able to give. "No one should be forced to love another person because they _think they should_." His voice hardened. "That's too much to put on them or me." Kaito swallowed. Conan's opinion was so mature. He knew that he should respect it… Even if it was breaking his heart.

"I don't think loving you would be a chore, _mon amour_." He said softly. Conan huffed a bitter laugh.

"That's because you don't know me very well." Kaito tried to suppress his keen of distress, but wasn't quite successful. Conan hugged him slightly. "It's alright. I have people in my life who love me anyway." Kaito felt him smile into his collarbone. "They aren't even my soulmates, and that's how I know that they love me for real."

"You don't know your soulmate wouldn't love you for real." Kaito muttered. "And what if you fell in love with him before you realized who he was." Conan shrugged, shifting the blanket around them slightly.

"I guess that what's important is that it's real." He answered. "I can't fall in love with a stranger. I won't." It sounded like a vow.

"But a friend?" Kaito's broken heart was filling with hope. "If you know them and they know you…"

Conan thought about it. "Only if their feelings aren't based on the mark." He answered. Kaito's helplessness was being replaced with determination. So this was going to be a little bit harder than he thought. He could handle that. For the first time he was grateful for Conan's age. Without that barrier he'd have revealed his soul mark to the detective long ago and Conan would never have believed his feelings were genuine.

He could handle this. He just needed Conan to love him before he told him the truth. More importantly, he had to prove to Conan that he, Kuroba Kaito, loved him before he revealed his soul mark. But first, he had to at least try to help Conan see that it wasn't so unnatural for him.

"Don't be too hard on your soulmate." Kaito said. "I don't think you would have trouble caring about them."

"Why is that?" Conan asked, sounding as if he'd heard whatever was going to come next a thousand times. Goodness knows that there were enough people trying to talk others out of his particular opinion.

"Because you cared enough about me to risk your life to save mine." Conan blinked up at him in surprise, Kaito smiled. "You know as much about me as you do about your soulmate." He commented. "Caring about others seems to come naturally to you, Conan." The detective blushed furiously and looked away.

Kaito released a breath in relief, he knew he was right. Conan cared about everyone. He just had to get him to care enough about him so that he wouldn't push him away when he learned who he was. And with Conan curled in his lap, both of them sharing a blanket to keep warm, there was no better time to start trying to win his affection.

"Hey, I know a few riddles if you think you're up for a challenge."

Conan looked up at him, a spark of interest in his eyes. "Riddles?" Kaito grinned. Yeah, he could do this. He pulled Conan close for warmth and comfort as he spoke.

"So, Lucretia Borgia invited a prospective victim to lunch…"

* * *

 **Yeah, I know. I'm breaking your heart. But hey! Cell cuddles! Plus, Kaito has a way better chance at wooing Conan now than he did at the beginning of the chapter! And I did try to make him feel as hopeful as possible. Plus... Cell cuddles. (And Kaito did let himself slip with the gender pronoun of Conan's soulmate because he was so distressed.)**

 **Alright, so I found an incredibly Detective Conan-esque riddle for Kaito to tell. Here is the rest!**

 **Lucretia Borgia invited a prospective victim to lunch. They ate a hearty meal of roast venison, with a selection of fresh vegetables, all washed down with the finest wine imported from Bordeaux in France.**

 **After the meal they finished off with figs and grapes freshly picked.**

 **"Just one apple left", said Lucretia, "I insist you have that. "No", said the guest, "I couldn't". "Tell you what", said Lucretia, "we will share it", and promptly sliced it neatly in two with her sharpest knife. The guest and Lucretia started to eat their respective halves when suddenly the guest's eyes rolled towards the ceiling and he keeled over backwards stone dead.**

 **"Another victim successfully despatched," thought Lucretia.**

 **Why was Lucretia not poisoned after eating the apple?**


End file.
